Demon's Resurrection and Queen's Promotion
by thewanderingactuary
Summary: A commander and an ace have been sent back in time. They've been given a chance to rewrite history and rectify their mistakes. However, they don't know that the other was sent back as well. And they may not be alone...
1. Prolouge

A/N: I own nothing, especially any and all properties related to Code Geass

A/N 2: Shout out to users dw77, dripley77, Z98, and Slavok. Their works provided me with ideas on how to write this story, and in what direction to take it.

A/N 3: Any and all criticisms are welcome. I'm starting out, so this will help out with future installments/stories.

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 **The Demon's Resurrection and the Queen's Promotion**

 **Prologue: Danger and Play**

 _ **Those who are dead, are not dead, they're just living in my head –**_ **Coldplay**

 _ **In my beginning is my end**_ **– T.S. Eliot**

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The Geass Master wandered around the Sword of Akasha and wondered what might've been had Ragnarok succeeded. Charles zi Britannia would have certainly got his wish; the entire human consciousness would have melded together into one collective. But he agreed with Charles' son Lelouch: it would have been a stagnant world. And to the Geass Master, a stagnant world would have been a boring one, something that would have been unacceptable.

Continuing his stroll around the extra-dimensional space that he had lived in so long, the Geass Master was glad that he decided to arrange for Lelouch to receive his Geass. He had introduced Geass into the mortal realm many centuries ago, back when he could remember his actual name. But no one, in all those years, had used to such spectacular effect as Lelouch Lamprouge. The Geass Master had chosen the young man for this power so that he could oppose his parents and Ragnarok; he did not expect to be so entertained by Lelouch's choices with his powers. First with the Black Rebellion, then with Zero's "resurrection", followed by his sabotage of Ragnarok and capped off by the Zero Requiem; all this had provided the Geass Master with an unrivaled source of entertainment. But now that the Zero Requiem had come to its end, he felt disappointed with the outcome. It's never a pleasant end to a story with the hero dying, and the number of bodies it had taken to reach that conclusion was a bit too high, even for the Geass Master's taste. He also felt that Lelouch had gotten a somewhat bad deal out of the affair: the "Demon Emperor" was a nice kid at heart, and it was a shame that he would be remembered as a monster for eternity. The Geass Master felt he should do something for him, as both a gift of gratitude and a gift of consolation.

These thoughts, the entertainment wrought from Lelouch's Geass, the dis satisfactory ending, his gift for Lelouch, swirled around the Geass Master's brain as he tried to make up his mind. Then it came to him a flash of inspiration: He could send Lelouch back in time and see if prior knowledge of events could lead to a better outcome. But this idea was quickly dismissed. The Geass Master had done this before, and he had gotten mixed results: Some had achieved better outcomes, but others had either gotten the same results or somehow had performed worse. In any case, the idea had been done before, and the Geass Master wanted to try something new. He toyed with a few other ideas for a few minutes, but nothing seemed to appeal to him. Suddenly, he had an original idea, one he hadn't done before: Send two people back, each with the same goal, but unaware of each other and their similar circumstances. The Geass Master smiled, delighted with the scenario he had devised. He suddenly felt the presence of the gods, who were worried that his plan would expose them to the risk of Ragnarok succeeding this time. The Geass Master brushed offed their concerns. Where was the fun in any of this if there wasn't any risk involved? Besides, if his faith in the two he had chosen turned out to be misplaced, there were preventive measures that could be enacted to thwart Ragnarok's completion. With the concerns of the gods addressed, the Geass Master went to enact his scenario. This was the most interesting idea that he had had in years, and he was not going to waste any time seeing what would happen.

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a/n: That covers the setup. The story proper begins with the next chapter. Sorry if the Geass Master seems a bit vague now, I'll flesh him out in a later chapter


	2. Chapter 1: Closing Thoughts

A/N: As always, I own nothing.

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 **Chapter 1: Closing Thoughts**

 _ **Oh, sad are winter nights, and slow;**_

 _ **And sad's a song that's dumb;**_

 _ **And sad it is to lie and know**_

 _ **Another dawn will come**_

 _ **\- Dorothy Parker**_

The final thoughts that Lelouch vi Britannia, the 99th emperor of Britannia, had prior to closing his eyes came as the sword was pulled out of his body and he tumbled from the throne platform to the front of the float. He saw his sister grabbing his hand and telling him that she loved him, looking at him with the eyes that had not long ago had been filled with malice, now filled with the tears that he had hoped to prevent from ever coming again. He attempted to tell his sister that she should take a different path than him, that she should create worlds instead of destroy them. His lungs failed him, and he was only able to breathe part of his message out to her. His final thoughts were those of regret, resignation, and acceptance. He regretted the path that it had taken to get here. He regretted causing the deaths of those close to him, like Shirley and Euphemia. He regretted not heading the warnings of C.C more seriously, so that he could have retained greater control over his Geass and prevented incidents such as the SAZ massacre and the F. L. E. J. I. A bombing. And most of all, he regretted straining his relationship with the three people he cared for most: Suzaku, Nunnally, and Kallen. If Lelouch had the option to do things again, he would've done things differently. He would have not driven Suzaku to the lengths that he had. He would have not given Nunnally a reason to turn against him. He would have told Kallen how he felt about her sooner. But what was done was done, Lelouch reasoned. He only hoped that the video will that he left would at least be a halfway sufficient explanation, and that his sister's reign would be a much longer and happier one than his. And with these final thoughts, he closed his eyes and prepared to embrace oblivion.

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The final thoughts that Kallen Kozuki, the former captain of the Zero Squad and Ace of the Black Knights, had before closing her eyes came as she walked into her room and into her bedroom. The past 24 hours had been some of the worst of her life. Lelouch's death was devastating for as it was; seeing the love of her life stabbed by his best friend, watching his sister bawl and beg for her brother to open his eyes, and the clarity and horror that came with the realization of what Lelouch's plan had been all along. But the showing of his video will the next day had somehow been even worse for Kallen. In it, Lelouch confirmed her revelation: his plan, the "Zero Requiem", had been to turn the world against him and establish a new order of peace with his death. Having explained himself, he then proceeded to give out his bequests to the enemies and betrayers that sat in the room. Finally, it was Kallen's turn. For her, Lelouch had left her several things. Some where obvious (the Guren) and somewhere unneeded (a large cash bequest so that her family could recover). But the most meaningful thing Lelouch left was a bulky manila envelope. Inside, was a flawless diamond ring and several papers documenting various plans for proposal. Kallen went over these plans again in the solitude of her room, not bothering to hold back the tears that she had failed to prevent during the reading. The plans were varied and sometimes overly dramatic, such as the one where he would give her a fake mission on Kamine Island that would have ended with a proposal. But in the end, it was a simple plan that Lelouch had settled on: A walk around Ashford academy, with a proposal on the bench where they had first talked to each other. Kallen smiled at that plan. For all of Lelouch's dramatic flair, he could be understated and sentimental when he wanted to be. Reshuffling the papers, she noticed a paper that she hadn't before: a letter from Lelouch that he had written two days ago. The letter read as thus:

 _Dear Kallen_

 _If you're reading this, it means I'm dead and the Zero Requiem has been completed. You probably know what the goal of the plan was, if I managed to explain it properly in my will. But I wanted to take the time here to tell you why I didn't bring you into it. It was because I love you. I love you so much. I want nothing more than for you to be happy, to live the life that we dreamed our revolution would accomplish. That's why I didn't bring you into the Zero Requiem. I knew if I did, one of two things would have happened: Either you would have tried to prevent me, or you would have joined me in death. Neither of these I wanted. I told you Kallen, you have to live. You were my greatest supporter, and I am so sorry I had to turn you into my enemy. I wanted to ensure that I could spare you the fates of Shirley and Euphie, that another person I love wouldn't die because of me. I also wanted to apologize as well. I want to apologize for not telling you how I felt sooner, so that –_

Kallen stopped reading the letter there. She couldn't continue, it hurt too much to do so. This letter had only solidified the perception that had been building since yesterday, since Kallen had learned a bit about him during his captivity; that Lelouch was really a kind-hearted soul who was just looking to protect the people he cared about. _And that included me_ , she realized. And with that, Kallen started to realize how much Lelouch meant to her. To her, he had been more than a friend, a classmate, a comrade, or even a commander. In way or another, Lelouch had been her life. If Kallen could go back, she would have done things differently. She would have tried to be kinder to him than before. She would have told him how she felt sooner, before Lelouch felt a need to push her away for the sake of his plans. The heartache was now too much for her to bear today. Kallen threw herself into her bed and cried herself to sleep, praying for oblivion.

When both Lelouch and Kallen opened their eyes next, they would be somewhere different than where they were expecting to wake up.

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a/n: I may have spoke too soon when I said starts here. In a way, it kind of does, but this isn't why you're reading this. Next time: Time Travel!


	3. Chapter 2: Re-Baptism by Fire

A/N: As always I own nothing

A/N 2: Thanks for all the positive feedback. I hope that I'm able to keep everyone's interest and meet your expectations.

A/N 3: I got a PM about requests, and I think I'll take some time here to talk about it quickly. I'm open to suggestions for this story, but don't expect them to be put in place. I already have a pretty good idea on how this one will play out. As for story requests, I may get to them eventually, but my efforts are concentrated on this one, so it may be some time (if ever) before I get to them. As of now, I only have two rules: 1) Nothing Sexual. 2) Nothing abusive. I may add more later, but for now, that's all I got.

Alright, enough of the boring author notes, let's get to why you're here. On with the story!

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 **Chapter 2: Re-baptism by Fire**

 _ **There is no present or future – only the past happening over and over again**_ **– Eugene O' Neill**

For Lelouch, the act of opening his eyes was a bit of surprise. By all accounts, he should be dead. Instead he was sitting in a truck wearing his Ashford uniform. He checked his pockets and found his cell-phone. Flipping it open, he saw two things. The first was that there was no cell reception, which didn't surprise him. What did surprise him was the second thing he saw: the date. More specifically, the year, which read as 2017. Lelouch's eyes widened as he saw the date, and read it several times. _I've been sent back in time_ , he thought. _I've been sent back to the day when I got my Geass_. As he gathered his surroundings, he saw something very familiar: C. C's capsule. Just as he was thinking about how he would deal his situation, the door open and he instinctively hid. Soon he heard a familiar voice yelling to the driver. "Can you enter the subway via the Azubu route?"

"Kallen!" yelled the driver "Let's use it here! Why not?"

"Because that would mean a bloodbath!"

And with that, the girl that Lelouch loved climbed up the ladder and out of sight. Lelouch was, for the first time in a long time, lost. _I've been sent back in time_ , thought Lelouch. _I've actually been sent back in time. What am I going to do?_ Little did he know, that he was not the only one thinking those thoughts.

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Kallen walked up to the Knightmare, confused as to how she got there. Last thing she remembered was that she had been bawling her eyes out on her bed. Now she was sitting next to a man who had died two years ago, and about to enter a battle that she hadn't been thought about for some time. She was on autopilot, going through the same motions as she had that day. All the while, her thoughts swirled around in a daze as she tried to figure out what was going on. _How did I get here?_ _ **Why**_ _am I here? Is this a dream?_ That last question was answered as she banged her head getting into the Glasgow. _Okay, this isn't a dream. I'm in the past. The question is, what to do now that I'm back?_ Kallen then looked down at the outdated controls in front of her. _I never knew how used to the Guren I was until now_ , she thought as she fired up the machine and prepared to fight.

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Lelouch watched as Kallen took out a helicopter with a Slash Harken before jumping out of the moving truck. _Even back then, she was a good pilot_ , he thought as the door closed behind him. He then corrected himself. _I need to stop thinking of these events as happening in the past. They're is happening_ _ **now**_ **.** And was happening now was that the driver was veering off into a construction site. Soon afterwards, the truck crashed into the unfinished structure, throwing Lelouch off his feet. As he got up, he saw that the door of the truck had opened. Slowly, he got up looking for his best friend and worst enemy. He heard the footsteps running towards him, and braced for the impact that he knew was coming.

It still hurt like hell.

As he was pinned down, he heard a familiar voice bark at him "That's enough mindless murder."

"I'm not one of the…." Lelouch growled, as his face was pushed against the floor.

"Planning on using poison gas? Don't play dumb with me!"

"Gerr'off me!" Lelouch shouted as he pushed the solider off him. Launching into his old diatribe that he had used before, he continued "I'm not here by choice. If that's poison gas, then it's Britannian made, isn't it?"

"My God" said the solider, backing away from the familiar face.

"Mindless murder? Then why don't you just destroy Britannia?"

"Lelouch?" asked the solider, removing his helmet. "It's me, Suzaku."

Lelouch paused himself and caught his breath. _I have to be more careful_ , he thought, _one wrong word, and I reveal that I was sent back in time. And there can't be any good consequences from that happening. Still, I have to let this play out as it happened so that I can my Geass. Now what did I say next?_ The words came to him, and he asked "You became a Britannian solider?"

"Yeah. What about you, you're -"

Suddenly the capsule opened and revealed a green-haired girl in a straitjacket. Suzaku then stated what Lelouch had known all along:

"That's not poison gas"

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Kallen was stuck in the middle of battle, and about to die.

This wasn't her fault. In fact, she was doing better than last time. She had taken out more troops than she had last time, even two Knightmares. But she was still outnumbered and outgunned. She knew that if she would die soon if –

"The west entrance. Use the tracks to move to the west entrance"

Kallen paused. It was a bit of shock to hear Lelouch's voice, and for it to be giving orders after so long. She was shook back into action by the voice. "Did you hear me? If you want to win, take the west entrance."

"Right!" Kallen said into the radio, eager to follow the familiar voice. She knew that she would have to keep that eagerness in check. Otherwise, Lelouch would grow suspicious and push her away. And she could not bear to have that happen a second time.

The scenario played out as it had before. As she took the route given to her by Lelouch, the two Knightmares followed, and were subsequently taken out by Lelouch's Sutherland. _That must be the one that he stole from Villeta_ , Kallen thought, remembering how much Villeta had complained about having her Knightmare stolen during the Shinjuku battle. Soon, the rest of the cell had Sutherlands and proceeded to decimate Clovis' troops. But Kallen remained on guard. She knew that any minute, their fortunes were going to change. Soon her rival was going to make his debut. Kallen wouldn't have been worried, as this Suzaku was just starting out with the Lancelot, and she had taken him on in his prime. However, she was in a battered Glasgow, so Kallen knew it was going to take everything she had to make sure that she got out alive.

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Lelouch knew what the voices over the radio were talking about, even though they were never able to complete their sentences. "It took out four units. It looks like a new model- Ah!" Thus, the radio went dead. _Well, it was only a matter of time_ , Lelouch thought. His first, last, and best friend had returned on the battlefield. Soon enough, the white Knightmare appeared, and came straight at him. He did his best to fend off the assault, but it was uneven fight. For starters, his Sutherland was already wearing thin, which was a distinct disadvantage against the brand new Lancelot. Compounding the handicap was Lelouch himself. He was extremely skilled in many areas, but Knightmare piloting was not one of them. Even when he had an advanced model, like the Gawain or the Shinkiro, he was still beaten in single combat. As such, it was a surprise that the Lancelot made short work of him. As it raised its weapon to deliver the kill shot, Lelouch cursed. _Damnit, I can't have come all the way back simply to be killed before I've accomplished anything!_ Suddenly, a blur of red slammed into Lancelot. "Go!" shouted Kallen over the coms "I'm returning the favor!". "Thank you!" said Lelouch, as he found the exit he was looking for and went for it. _Thank God for Kallen_ , thought Lelouch as he exited out the building and headed towards the command center. He didn't know what he would be able to do without his Q-1, and prayed that he wouldn't have to in this timeline.

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Kallen knew she could have won this fight. After all, she had honed her skills in numerous battles, and could hold her own against the Emperor's elite knights. And Suzaku she was fighting was not the one that she had lost to at Damocles; his Lancelot was in its first iteration and without many of the later add-ons that would make it a true difficulty, and Suzaku himself was new at piloting and without the anger and hurt that would fuel his later fights. However, the thing that prevented her from winning was the Knightmare she was currently in. Had she been piloting any of the Gurens, or even a Sutherland, Kallen would have won the fight. Instead, she was in a second-hand Glasgow with only one arm, so all she could really do was stave off the Lancelot's flurry of attacks for as long as she could. She managed to do better than last time; she lasted a minute or two longer than last time, and even managed to tag him twice. But in the end, Suzaku won again. Using the Lancelot's sword, he managed to cut off the Glasgow's other arm, effectively ending the fight. As the white Knightmare raised its rifle to fire, Kallen hit the eject button and avoided the kill shot, landing somewhere outside the building. She then grabbed her gun and got of the cockpit, adjusting her radio to listen for her comrades. "Kallen?" garbled a voice from the radio. "I'm here Ohgi" Kallen replied. "Where am I going?"

"Head south. We're in a warehouse with some civilians."

"Right". Kallen headed in that direction, thinking _Hopefully Lelouch will be able to pull off the same miracle twice_.

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Suzaku looked at the now-empty Glasgow. The pilot had been good, but they had now left. No point in wasting energy destroying what remained of the Glasgow, he reasoned as he moved to exit the building. The leader of these terrorists was still out there and he had to catch up to him. He soon found him, heading in the direction of the command center. _That bastard's trying to attack HQ_ , Suzaku realized. With that he began to attack, using the new Knightmare's capability to give himself the advantage. The stolen Sutherland started firing its gun at random, destroying the buildings around him. This didn't phase Suzaku at all, and he continued his pursuit. What did give him pause was an ping on his screen that alerted him of some falling debris. He turned to examine and saw a young mother and her child falling with the debris; he caught the two and set them down gently. Suzaku was slightly crestfallen when the mother gasped in fear, and proceeded to run as quickly as possible away with her child. _Someday, I'll be able to show them that we are not the enemy_ Suzaku thought as he turned to resume the chase. As it transpired, there was no longer a chase to resume. The Sutherland he had been pursuing sat abandoned in the middle of the street, and was missing a cockpit. He activated his radio and said "This is the Lancelot. Enemy combatant has abandoned Sutherland."

"Never mind that now" said the responding voice. "Make your way to the checkpoint that's on your screen. Seems a group of terrorists have holed up in a warehouse."

"Right!" responded Suzaku, as he redirected the Lancelot and headed to the warehouse in question. When he arrived, the entire building was surrounded by a bevy of tanks and Knightmares. Being the heaviest hitter in the group, Suzaku was instructed to open up the walls of the warehouse, which he did.

What he saw shocked him.

Sure, there were terrorists in the warehouse. But there were also a large number of civilians in as well, huddled together in terror. Even the terrorists did not seem like they were preparing to attack; instead it seemed as they were preparing to defend the civilians. Suzaku hesitated, even as he heard the order to prepare fire. Could he really attack this many non-combatants?

"Attention all forces, cease fire at once! I, Clovis, Third Prince of Britannia and Royal Viceroy of Area 11 herby command; all forces are at once! I will allow no further fighting!"

Suzaku breathed a sigh of relief. At least he was able to avoid unnecessary bloodshed today. But how long was that going to last?

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Kallen breathed a sigh of relief as she entered her house. _At least Lelouch is consistent_ , she thought as she walked through Stadtfelt manor towards her room. Suddenly she heard a voice behind her. "Welcome back, Mistress".

Kallen turned around and saw a brown-haired woman of similar height and stature in an apron and tears welled up in her eyes. "Hi Mom" Kallen said as she proceeded to give her a hug.

Ms. Kozuki was in shock. "Miss-ss-tress, what-"

"Please drop the character, it's just the two of us."

Ms. Kozuki returned hug, grateful to embrace one of children after so many years. "Kallen, why?" she managed to choke out as tears streamed down her face.

"I've…I've had a rough couple of days. Everything I've been through has taught me to appreciate the people I care about. And that includes you Mom." Kallen, having realized the opportunity to take care of a problem that would cause a lot of grief in the near future, said "Mom, I need you to something for me"

"What honey?"

"I need you to stop using Refrain." Kallen saw her mother's eyes widen, and continued before she could respond. "I know that it helps you relive a happier past. But we can no longer live there. I promise you Mom, you and I are going to make some new memories, and I _promise_ you that better days are ahead. So please Mom, please give up the Refrain. I promise you won't lose me again."

Ms. Kozuki reembraced her daughter and said "With your help, I know that I can kick it." The two separated, and she took on the tone of a more traditional mother. "Now go to bed, young lady. It's late and you have to get to school in the morning."

Kallen smiled at her mother's attempt to act as a parent, and headed to her room. As she entered and got into her pajamas, she smiled at the thought of seeing Lelouch and all of her friends. She then realized the full ramifications of tomorrow. _Crap, I have to go back to school_ , she thought. _What was my class schedule for the week, and what was I studying?_

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 _Crap, I have school tomorrow. What was my schedule this time of the year?_ These were the thoughts as Lelouch entered the clubhouse at Ashford academy where he lived. Now that he in a safer environment, the fatigue of the past day began to sink in. He had been in a parade, killed, sent back in time, granted mystical powers, and had killed his half-brother for the second time.

Needless to say, it had been a very weird 24 hours.

As he entered his rooms, Lelouch saw his sister Nunnally in the main room facing the window. Lelouch couldn't help but feel happiness when he saw his little sister. They hadn't parted on the best of terms. Lelouch had thwarted his sisters plans for the Damocles and turned her into an enemy. He had used Geass on her, and paraded her through the streets. He had never gotten a real chance to apologize to her for all that he had done. But now, Lelouch realized that he had a chance to make things right with his sister. Now, he could create the perfect world for her without hurting her. _And that starts now_ , Lelouch thought. "Hi Nunnally, I'm home" he said with a honest cheerfulness.

Nunnally turned the wheelchair to face her brother and gave him a smile.

And blinked.

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a/n: Well that chapter took longer than I expected. Sorry if it seems like I was rushing through the whole battle of Shinjuku. There's two reasons for this. The first is that I'm not as comfortable with actions scenes yet, and I've yet to figure out how to present a compelling fight between giant fighting robots via prose. The second reason is that I'm keeping a lot of the early R1 material the same, so I'm trying to move through it quickly and move to the big changes that are to come.

a/n 2: Next chapter, We'll get into what's going on with Nunnallly, see some of the fall out from the Shinjuku battle, and see the debut of Zero!

With all of that being said, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and hope to see you for the next one! Feel free to leave all comments and questions in the review box below.


	4. Chapter 3: Sound and Vision

A/N: I do not own Code Geass or anything related to it.

A/N 2: I should probably explain why this chapter has taken so long, especially compared to how the others came out so quickly. When I first began publishing this story, the Prolouge and Chapter 1 were already finished, and I was halfway through Chapter 2. I manged to finish that chapter quickly and publish it soon afterwards. This chapter then had be started from scratch, so that took a little longer than expected. Sorry about anyone anxious for a delay, especially after that cliffhanger, but I don't intend to stop writing anytime soon.

Alright, enough of me prattling. On with the story!

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 **Chapter 3: Sound and Vision**

 _ **What happens when people open their hearts? They get better.**_ **– Haruki Murakami**

Nunnally vi Britannia had last closed her eyes when she had been bawling her eyes out over the death of her brother. She, like Kallen, had understood what Lelouch's plans truly were when "Zero" jumped on the platform and stabbed him. Nunnally realized with horror that Lelouch's plans were the same as her own; only that instead of Damocles, he had used himself as the object of hate to unite the world. She had made her way to her brother's dying body and managed to see him look back at her. The look Lelouch had given Nunnally was a look of love, compassion, and apology. It was also a look of goodbye. Soon after the chaos concerning the "assassination" had settled down, Nunnally received another shock: her brother had named her his heir, and she was swiftly coronated as the 100th Empress of Britannia. In the end, everything she had wanted out of the Damocles scheme came into being: She now had a new world that was unified and ready to move forward towards peace and justice.

And she was miserable.

Nunnally didn't just want a kinder and gentler world. She had wanted to share that world with her brother. _There had to have been another way_ , she kept thinking, as she drifted in and out of various meetings and councils. As an abrupt change in government always leaves a lot of confusion it its wake, it was some time before she was in the imperial chambers and alone in bed with a small white envelope that had been given to her at the reading of Lelouch's will. It contained her brother's final words to her, that were meant for her alone. She had specifically avoided reading it till now, because she knew that she would cry upon reading it. With tears already welling up, she opened the envelope and read the letter

 _Dear Nunnally_

 _If you're reading this, it means that the "Zero Requiem" has been completed and I'm dead. I know that you had a similar plan, and that you're wondering why I thwarted it instead of just using your idea. It's because in that plan, it wouldn't have just been Damocles that was the symbol of hatred; that hatred would've extended to you as well. And that was something that I couldn't have. You are one of the sweetest people that I know, and for anyone to think ill of you is more than I could bear. I am comfortable with all the hate and anger being directed at me; it will only make it easier for you to pass the reforms that need to be passed._

 _Remember that no matter what, I will always be proud of you. I'm truly sorry I won't get to see what a wonderful empress you'll be._

 _Your loving brother_

 _Lelouch_

The tears came harder than she expected. Nunnally had never got to repair her relationship with Lelouch, and she was sure that he died thinking that she hated him. She thought that her brother had been lost in the various masks and schemes, but the truth was that he had never changed. Lelouch had still been the sweet older brother that she knew him as, and he had sacrificed his life in order to create the perfect world they both desired. Nunnally closed her eyes and curled up in a ball as the tears kept streaming. She would give anything to see her big brother again, even if only once. Even if she had to make a million of those origami cranes and go blind again afterwards, she would have done it just to see Lelouch one more time and try to make things right with him. Soon she drifted into an uneasy and dreamless state of oblivion.

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Nunnally awoke to the sound of a sharp gust and a place that she didn't recognize. She was also in her wheelchair, as if she had fallen asleep there and was taking a nap. She was sitting in front of a window, and in it she saw a most interesting reflection. Nunnally noticed that she was wearing a plain green and white dress, not the pajamas that she had gone to bed in. _Now that's strange_ she thought, as she tried to ascertain where exactly she was. Suddenly she heard a door open and a voice she thought she would never hear again say "Hi, Nunnally, I'm home." She turned around and saw her brother walking towards her with a smile on his face.

Nunnally could feel the tears coming back, but now they were tears of happiness. This was more than she could have hoped for. She moved the wheelchair towards Lelouch as quickly as the motors would allow and hugged her brother as hard as she could. _It's real_ , she thought, _He's really here_. Nunnally then felt her brother kneeling down so that he could return the hug as well. Tears were gushing from her eyes at this point, but she no longer cared. Her big brother was with her again, and that's all that mattered at this point. After a few minutes, the two finally pulled apart and looked each other in the eyes. Nunnally saw that her brother had happiness and tears like she did. But she also saw shock in his eyes, which was unexpected. "But…How…?" he stuttered out. Nunnally reembraced him and said, "I don't know how and I don't care, I'm just glad that you're here. I don't know how this happened or how long it will last, but I want to make every minute of it count." She smiled, and joked "It's not every day you get to talk with the dead, is it?"

Lelouch pulled away from her and looked her in the eyes. Now his eyes showed nothing but shock. "Dead? ...Wait, are you talking about the Zero Requiem?"

Nunnally's happiness was now starting to be replaced with a worried confusion. "Of course, what else would I be talking about?"  
Lelouch found a chair and sat down, apparently now in complete shock. He then took a deep breath and took Nunnally's hand. "Nunnally, I don't know how else to say this, but…but it looks like we may have travelled back in time."

Now it was Nunnally's turn to be in shock. "Big brother, are you kidding…?" she asked hesitantly. But she knew that her brother was telling the truth, so how-

"I know it's a bit hard to believe, but it's true." Lelouch took out his phone and showed Nunnally his phone, with a date that had passed over a year ago.

"But … Why? **How?** " Nunnally asked, now completely lost.

"I have no idea." admitted Lelouch, "I think the only person who could answer that is whoever sent us back has some answers".

xxxxxxxxxxx

Oddly enough, the person who had sent back Lelouch was just at a lost for an explanation as the two siblings. _How is that even possible?_ thought the Geass Master as he paced around the viewing room in the Sword of Akasha. _I only sent back Lelouch and Kallen, how the hell did Nunnally go back? Was her soul so closely linked to Lelouch that she got dragged along back? No, that's never happened before, and it certainly wouldn't have happened here. Besides, she wasn't even dead. So how –_

 _Is the answer to your question really that difficult to figure out?_

 _You!_ The Geass Master felt his eyes widen in shock, then narrow in anger as he realized what happened. _Tell me, why did the gods decide to send Nunnally?_

 _Who says that you are the only one who is allowed to meddle with the lives of others in order to have a laugh?_

 _Never mind that!_ replied the Geass Master angrily. _How dare you interfere with my scenario!_

 _Really, aren't you interested to see what new developments come out of these events?_

 _Yes, but I rather it didn't get derailed almost immediately_ responded the Geass Master as he left the viewing room and prepared a Thought Elevator. As he got into his makeshift transport, he thought over which Geasses he would need to use and who he would need to use it on. After all, it was going to take considerable work to make it seem entirely natural that a girl who had been blind for seven years could suddenly see again.

xxxxxxxxxx

Lelouch and Nunnally sat together at the table, each silently thinking over what they had revealed to each other. _Well this is a unique situation_ thought Lelouch. For once, he couldn't think of the appropriate way to approach the situation. And he knew Nunnally was in a similar situation, as she was stuck in a similar silence. After a few more minutes of this, Lelouch decided to break the silence. _I wanted to properly apologize to Nunnally_ he reasoned, _now's a good a time as any_. "Nunnally" he said with a great hesitation "I want to explain myself"

"About the Zero Requiem? Because you already did that in – "

"Not just about that. I want to explain myself about everything." Lelouch took a breath, then continued. "I did everything because of a promise. A promise that I made to myself. I promised myself that by the time you opened your eyes, you would find yourself in a world that where you wouldn't see anything sad, where you could smile forever. And to that end, I went and did everything I could to make that world a reality. With that goal in mind, I found I could do anything that needed to be done. Except go against you. You were the only person I couldn't actually bring myself to fight. That's why I exiled myself to China when you announced the SAZ, so that I wouldn't have to fight you. And making you give me the Damocles key was the hardest thing I ever did. Because you are the one person who means the most to me. After I thought I lost you in the F.L.E.J.I.A blast, I…I completely collapsed. I allowed the Black Knights to betray me and … I set myself up for death more than once." At this point, he could feel the tears going back through his eyes, but he kept going. "But even through trying to make that perfect world, I pushed away and hurt everyone important to me, especially you. I made you hate me. And for that I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." His tears got the better of him for a minute and Lelouch had to take a minute to breathe. "But I promise you Nunnally, I won't let this opportunity go to waste. I'm going to learn from my mistakes, and I'm going to create that perfect world again."

"No" Lelouch heard his sister say, as he felt her hand take ahold of his. He looked up and saw Nunnally looking at him with a mixture of tears and determination in her eyes. " _We_ will create that perfect world. Together."

Lelouch's initial thoughts were that rejection. He wanted to tell Nunnally no, so she would be protected and hidden away from the fighting and intrigue. But he was able to avoid the knee-jerk reaction of telling her no. His sister was no longer the innocent blind girl that she had been before, but a force to be reckoned with. Lelouch knew she was just as cunning strategist as he was, and that she could be the angel on his shoulder to prevent him from making the same senseless mistakes he had before. He had entrusted with the entire Britannian Empire, why shouldn't he trust her with a revolution? With his heart and mind reconciled, he clasped Nunnally's hand in agreement.

"Together" he affirmed.

Lelouch then took a look at the clock and realized how late it was. "Crap" he said, getting up from his chair, "we better get to bed, we got school in the morning."

"Damn, you're right" Nunnally replied. "Given everything we've been through, how do you think we are going to get on with classes tomorrow?"

"Forget classes, how we going to explain to everyone that you're suddenly seeing again? Ugh, tomorrow is going to be a rough day."

xxxxxxxxxxx

 _Ugh, today's been a rough day_ Kallen thought as she sat down for lunch. It had always been tough to go back to being "sickly" when this had been her usual routine. But Kallen had not needed to pretend ever since the end of the first Black Rebellion, making it nearly impossible to pull it off. To make the situation more troublesome, she wasn't a member of the student council at this point, so she had to talk to the silly girls that she used to hang out with. _Uh, listening to all this inane gossip for a second time is worse than I could ever imagine. I almost wish Lelouch had gone through with the executions to spare me this_ Kallen thought as one of the girls ( _her name's Lily…I think_ , she thought, hoping to avoid the awkwardness that would arise if it was revealed that arise it was revealed that she had completely forgotten her name) caught her up on all the various dating scene changes that occurred while she was away. Suddenly a bee appeared, scaring the other girls away. Kallen smacked the bee, grateful for a few seconds of privacy. She was patiently waiting for Lelouch, as it was the only reason that she was in school today. Soon she thought, Lelouch is going to come up to her and use his Geass to learn about the terrorist cell she was a part of. Then he would try to use his Geass a second –

Her phone went off unexpectedly as she was reminiscing. Annoyed, she pulled out her phone and answered. "This is Kallen, who is this?"

"Hello Q-1" said the voice on the phone. "Nice to see you made it out of Shinjuku okay."

"It's … it's … you!" Kallen stuttered into the phone "H-How did…."

"How did I get this number?" the man who would be known as Zero replied. "Well" it said with a chuckle, "Let's say I have a tendency for accomplishing things that many consider to be…impossible."

"Based off Shinjuku, that sounds about right" Kallen replied, who had managed to hide her shock. She didn't bother to mention that Zero hadn't answered the question she was going to actually ask: How did know to call her?

"I want for you go to Tokyo Tower the day after tomorrow. I'll relay further instructions from there." With that, there was a click and a dial tone, meaning that the opposite line had hung up.

"Will do, Zero" Kallen said to the silent phone. Suddenly, she saw Milly coming over, calling to her.

"Hey Kallen! I was looking for you" Milly Ashford said as she was walked to Kallen. "Do you think that you could come with me to the clubhouse?"

"Sure" said Kallen hesitantly. As the two girls walked to the clubhouse, Kallen's mind was still reeling from the call. _That's strange, Lelouch would use that call to deflect any suspicion that he was Zero. Wait, that call was going to come in tomorrow when I was in the shower after…the student council welcome party! Does that mean –_

"Welcome to the Student Council!"

With that, she was greeted with a smattering of clapping and a round of introductions for people she already knew. As she shook the various hands and pretended to be meeting these old friends for the first time, Kallen was still wrapping her head around the turn of events that just occurred. _This is all so strange; this was all supposed to happen_ tomorrow _. This is … oh what was that one thing where a step out of line changes the entire future… the Butterfly Effect! That's what this is! I've already changed a number of things, so it makes sense that other things have changed as well. Still, nothing is too much out of the ordinary. I should be able to save Lelouch and –_

"Oh, and this is Nunnally, Lelouch's little sister." Kallen turned to where Milly was gesturing and was shocked to see two violet eyes looking back at her. Milly, misinterpreting her surprise, said in a whisper "She has had that wheelchair for some time. Poor thing was injured very young due to a car accident."

"Oh, it's not that" Kallen said, before catching her mistake. "I-I'm just surprised that someone so young is on the student council."

"Well" Nunnally said bashfully, "I'm not really a member of the student council as I'm only in my second year."

"Right" said an embarrassed Kallen. _The butterfly effect must be more potent than I thought. I really need to be careful how I proceed_. Suddenly, a cork came flying at. She was able to smack away the cork, but was still hit with a stream of champagne. _I guess somethings are still the same_ she mused with a sigh as someone handed her a towel.

xxxxxxxxxxx

"I guess somethings are still the same." Lelouch said as he sat down at the table with Nunnally. "I forgotten how tedious some of our teachers are. "With what everyone pays in tuition, you think that Principal Ashford would some quality instructors."

"I'm glad you find the teachers as boring as ever" Nunnally said, a bit miffed. "It was a strenuous day for me. Not only did I start having to associate faces with the voices of people I haven't seen in over a year, I also had to field endless questions about the operation that restored my eyesight."

"Hey, at least the cover story was received well enough." The previous night, Lelouch and Nunnally had agreed to explain Nunnally's regained eyesight as a surgical operation that was covered by Lelouch's gambling. Oddly enough, they found that not only was that story accepted, but everyone seemed to have known about this for quite some time.

"Do you think that this could be an effect of … oh what was the name of that time travel theory… the Butterfly Effect?" asked Nunnally in a worried tone.

"I think that's probably the case, unless someone managed to Geass half the school" said Lelouch, completely unaware that that was what had actually happened. "Regardless, I don't think we need to be worried about it just yet. So far, nothing has changed too drastically, and everything is still proceeding as planned. I expect Suzaku will be arrested tomorrow, if not to tonight. Then, I will debut as Zero and rescue him. Soon afterwards, Cornelia will be announced as Viceroy of Area 11."

"And where happens then, Big Brother?" Nunnally asked, simultaneously reassured and scared by Lelouch's calmness and confidence.

"Then" Lelouch said with a glint in his eye "We rewrite the future."

* * *

a/n: A quick note on some of the powers used around here. First, according to the Code Geass Wiki, Nunnally can detect if people are lying if she is holding their hand. I used that power here to some extent, and I may make use of it in the future. As for the Geass Master, he will get a full explanation in a later chapter. Not anytime soon, but he will get one.

a/n 2: I know I promised in the last set of Author Notes that I would introduce Zero in this chapter. Yet he is not here. This is because I'm adopting a new strategy of writing, thanks to the advice of a reviewer gave after the last chapter. First, he/she advised skipping anything that I would be keeping canon, in order to prevent the story from reading like a summary. As I am keeping everything up to Saitama canon (more or less), this seemed like a prudent idea for this chapter. Second, and more important, they advised that I limit my chapters to 2000-3000 if I was pressed for time to write. Since my actual schedule just became a lot more hectic, that seemed like a good idea, so that's why I decided to end the chapter here. I'll definitely be getting to Zero in the next chapter, so don't worry.

a/n 3: Sorry I don't have as good a cliffhanger this time. Hopefully, one will present itself in the near future.

Comments? Questions? Insidious Remarks? Leave a Review below! Till next time! - TWA


	5. Chapter 4: Beginnings of a Changing Fate

A/N: I own nothing (of any substantial value)

There are other things that I would like to talk about (sort of), but none of them seem worth a A/N. Nevertheless, let's get down to it. On with the Story!

* * *

 **Chapter 4: The Beginnings of a Changing Fate**

 _ **Extraordinary men can transgress any law, break any rule, simply because they are extraordinary**_ **– Fyodor Dostoevsky**

" **I am Zero!"**

 _At least Lelouch hasn't lost his flair for the dramatic_ Kallen thought as she sat behind of "Clovis's" car. Here they were again, freeing Suzaku from his prison transport. Kallen was still unable to believe how well this plan had worked. All it had taken them was a redecorated car and an empty canister to effectively scare the Britannians into giving up Suzaku in front of an international audience. A gunshot brought Kallen back to earth as three Knightmares descended from the sky and surrounded the van. Now having them effectively surrounded, the Margrave Jeremiah Guttwold said sneeringly "Now, why don't you remove that ridiculous mask?"

Kallen knew what would happen next, mostly because she had watched the video tapes afterwards. Lelouch would go to remove his mask, only to snap his fingers and reveal the canister. He would then demand that Suzaku for the canister, only to be rebuffed by Jeremiah. Zero would then reveal himself as Clovis's murderer, and threaten to expose "Orange" if Jeremiah didn't let them go. They would then drive straight out with Suzaku and with no one trying to shoot them. Yet despite knowing this, Kallen suddenly felt anxious about the whole plan falling apart. _The butterfly effect could still mess things up_ she thought _who knows what else has been affected._

Fortunately, the plan went exactly as it had before, and soon they were on their way with a freed political prisoner. _At least things haven't changed too much since then_ she thought as they sped off into the night.

XXXXXXXXXX

Nunnally turned off the TV, thoroughly impressed with her brother's success. During the first time, Lelouch and Sayoko had kept her away from much of the news concerning Zero and the Black Knights. Now, having seen Zero's grand debut, Nunnally could see why he was such a big deal. His words, his gestures, his speaking style; Everything about Zero commanded respect and obedience, like an actor who could command the attention of the audience. That, coupled with Lelouch's immense intellect, made Zero a terrifying force to be reckoned with. _If Lelouch hadn't been so focused on the Zero Requiem and making people hate him, he would've made an amazing emperor_ Nunnally thought as she entered the dining room. She then saw a girl around Lelouch's age with long green hair wearing what appeared to be a straitjacket playing with a origami cranes on the table. "Hello?" said Nunnally in a suspicious voice "Can I help you?"

The girl turned and locked her amber eyes with the amethyst eyes. "I'm C.C" she said, and turned back to the paper cranes.

Nunnally began to study the girl with interest. C.C had lived with them during the Black Rebellion, but the two off them never really talked too much during. She knew that C.C had been one of her brothers closet companions during his time as Zero, and supposedly had a hand in the Zero Requiem. But that contradicted the fact that she had turned Nunnally over to the emperor. In any event, C.C was going to be a fixture if Nunnally knew her brother, so she thought she might as well ask some questions about the mystery girl.

"Why are you here?" Nunnally asked cautiously, moving her wheelchair so that she would be sitting next to C.C.

"I'm here to see Lelouch."

"What business do you have with my big brother?"

"He is promised to me"

Nunnally frowned. This was the same answer that she had given last time. "What does that mean?"

"It means that he is the one who will end my life."

Now that was news to Nunnally. No one had made mention of this earlier. Did Lelouch actually kill this girl the last time? If so, why? Why was this girl be here if Lelouch actually was going to kill her? And why did she seem so nonchalant about it? Just then, her brother entered the room, obviously tired from the long night. Upon seeing C.C, he smiled. "Ah, C.C" Lelouch said "I've been expecting you. Do you mind coming with me?"

With that, he took C.C by the wrist, and led her out of the room, leaving Nunnally to think of the right questions to ask her brother. Her first one came when Lelouch re entered the room. "So who is she exactly?"

Lelouch sighed a sigh of resignation; it looked like he had been anticipating that question. "Her name, as I think she told you, is C.C. She's the one who gave me my Geass."

Nunnally's eyes widened. She had often wondered how Lelouch had gotten his Geass, and here was, at the very least, part of the answer. Eager for more details, she continued. "When did you meet?"

"Two days ago, the same day you and I were sent back to. I met her during the battle of Shinjuku, where she gave me my Geass."

"What did she mean by saying you were going to 'end her life'?"

"C.C contains what is known as a 'code'. This basically makes her immortal. Her life can only be ended by someone who has a contract with her. Upon killing her, the contracted receives the code and becomes immortal."

That answered a few of Nunnally's questions, and created a whole lot more. Before she could ask any more questions, Lelouch yawned and said "Look, I know you have a lot of questions about all of this, but it's late and we both have school tomorrow. I promise that I'll all of your questions; some I can answer tomorrow, others may have to wait until they become relevant. But I promise you, when the time comes, I'll be honest with you."

Lelouch then kissed her on the forehead and bade her goodnight. But Nunnally knew that that promise was conditional at best. He would only tell her the truth if it would serve both of them, and that wasn't the case now. Though she had been promised that she would help out with the rebellion, Nunnally knew that she was a complete liability right now. She was confined to this damn wheelchair, which made it impossible for her to do anything on her own. And it also made her vulnerable. That, more than anything, was the Achilles heel of their plans. Nunnally knew that if she was in danger, Lelouch would drop everything and rush to her side. And that fact had cost him dearly in the past.

But just because she was helpless _now_ didn't mean she had to stay that way. In fact, she begin the process right away, as Sayoko had just come in to take here to bed. "Ms. Sayoko?"

"Yes Mistress?"

"I need a few favors from you…"

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"Welcome to Area 11, Viceroy."

Cornelia li Britannia accepted the greetings as she settled into her new offices. The rest of her weapons and troops would be arriving within a few days, but she was impatient. She wanted to get started immediately, to get back into action. She wanted to pacify this god forsaken region once and for all. Area 11 had already claimed three of her siblings, she wouldn't let it take a fourth, whether it be her or Euphie. Cornelia sighed and turned to the paperwork on her desk. Clovis may have been one of the few siblings that she could stand, but he had been a terrible administrator. He had left her quite a mess to clean up, and she was going to hold back her eagerness until her troops arrived and deal with the inane paperwork in front of her.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"Well, at least Suzaku is back on the student council, so the bullying should die down a bit." Lelouch said as sat down to have lunch with Nunnally.

"It still doesn't excuse their behavior" Nunnally replied as she drank her tea. She had been always of the racism that had existed at Ashford, but actually seeing it had made it almost unbearable. "It was nice that you could still acknowledge him as a friend, especially after all that's gone between you two."

"You forget, it's all yet to happen. He's still Suzaku that _was_ our friend. In any case, did you have to tell the Milly that Arthur stole something of mine, _again_."

"Well it happened last time, so at least the deviations are down. Besides, you should take better care of such valuable equipment" she said with a giggle. "So, what happens next?"

"Well, now that Cornelia has arrived in Japan, her first will be to draw Zero out. She'll attack Saitama in an effort to draw me out. Only this time," Lelouch said with a smirk, "I have no intention of falling into her trap a second time."

"Well," Nunnally said with a sudden eagerness, "I may be able to help! Come with me!"

With that, she led Lelouch to her room, where an unusual amount of computer and radio equipment had been set up. "Nunnally, what is all this?" Lelouch asked in confused amazement.

"I had Sayoko get me some equipment so that I could help out big brother. With this, we should be able to listen in on the communications between Cornelia and her subordinates, amongst other things."

Lelouch was stunned. In order to keep the conversation going, he asked the first question that came to his head. "How do we know that this will work?"

"Well, back when I was Viceroy, I remember that a common complaint that the communication modules hadn't changed since Clovis's time. I figured that was still true, so I used the Viceroy's override code to gain access. I already have the timetable for the Saitama operation" Nunnally said as she handed him a printout of a highly classified document.

At this point, Lelouch was completely shocked. "This...this is…"

"Look" Nunnally said, taking his hand in reassurement. "I know that you're scared for me, that I'm putting myself in danger. But remember that last time I was kept out of "danger" by you and everyone else, and I still wound up in danger. Now, I refuse to be a bystander anymore. Now, I will fight my fate, and choose my own destiny."

Suddenly, she was pulled into a hug by her brother. "Just make sure that you don't loose you in the fight. Don't ever stop being _you_."

Nunnally returned the hug. "Don't worry. With the two of us together, I know we won't lose each other." The two siblings broke apart, and looked at each other with a mutual respect and understanding. "So, what's our plan?" Nunnally asked, to which Lelouch flashed his trademark grin.

Xxxxxxxxxx

The Saitama operation was meant to be a show of force. Over a hundred Knightmares, a thousand infantry, and various light artilerly. With this, they would march through the ghetto and accomplish what Clovis had failed to achieve in Shinjuku. And it all with a single purpose in mind: to lure out Zero, the most wanted criminal in the Brittanian empire.

So far, it wasn't working.

Not only had the masked man not made an appearance, but there where no one at all, save a few pieces of stubborn resistance. With all the fanfare that they were broadcasting this with, they giving a very lackluster performance.

Cornelia, needless to say, was dissatisfied. They had spent a lot of time, money, and effort to create a situation similar to Shinjuku, all in the hope of getting a rise out of the masked terrorist. And it had all been a waste. She was debating whether to draw out the operation or just give up when she received an alert over the radio. "What is it Unit 7?" she asked.

"Um, ma-am, you asked us to report any unusual activities that we encounter while out here, right?" said the nervous voice of the unit's captain over the radio.

"That's right captain. What have you come across?"

"Well, we found Lt. Henderson, one of the Knightmare pilots, wandering around out here. Not in his Knightmare, just out here wandering. And he has no idea how he got here."

"Roger that, thank you." Cornelia said with a satisfied smirk. She remembered reading about a similar incident happening during the Shinjuku skirmish, about a member of the Purist faction who had been found in the battlefield with no idea how she had lost her Knightmare. Cornelia smiled. Maybe this operation wasn't going to be such a waste after all.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"All Knightmare, report back to base for inspection."

 _Alright, here we go_ Lelouch thought as he let the machine go to autopilot and follow orders. So far, the plan was unfolding exactly as he had wanted to. As the machine moved through the ghetto, Zero took out a device meant to override the automatic controls, and inserted it into the vehicles data port. This device had been extremely useful back when the Black Knights had been stealing Knightmares from the Britainnians. The device had been simple enough that Lelouch could remember how to make it and had assembled it in the past week. _Should take about five minutes_ , he thought and had the device's timer confirm that, as the Knightmare pulled into the inspection lot. He knew what would happen next: each Knightmare would be made to open, and the pilot would be made to present themselves. By the time that they had gotten to him, the device would be activated and the next stage of his plan would begin.

Unfortunately, the plan was quickly derailed when Lelouch's stolen Sutherland pulled into the inspection line. For no sooner had the machine parked than three Gloucesters pulled up to him and pointed their machine guns at them. "Hello Zero" said his sister in a smug tone that suggested total victory. _Crap, this is progressing too fast_ , thought Lelouch as he checked the timer on the device. _I need to stall for time._

 _But how?_

xxxxxxxxxx

"Good afternoon Viceroy Cornelia"

The 2nd princess could barely suppress a grin. She had cornered Zero and had given him nowhere to run. There was only reason for him to contact her, and in such as cordial tone: he was going to attempt to beg for his life. She was proven correct by the next transmission that came through. "I'm afraid that its inconvenient for me to die just yet, so how about a trade?"

Cornelia's grin through. It appeared for all his bravado and flair, the great Zero was just a coward after all. "What could you possibly offer me?" she asked arrogantly.

"Information. Information that you've been searching for a long time."

"Like what? Your recipe for triple decker chocolate mousse? What information could you have that would be of any use to me?"

"Ha Ha. I won't give you that, but I'll give you something just as good"

"Oh, really? This should be good. So, go ahead, what bombshell do you got for me?"  
"I can tell you why Clovis never found the bodies of your siblings Lelouch and Nunnally."

Cornelia felt her breath grow short. "You couldn't possibly know that."

"Oh but I do. And I'm willing to share that knowledge with you, if you're willing to accept my trade."

"Ok, I'll bite. Why couldn't Clovis never find corpses of Lelouch and Nunnally?"

"Because there were never any corpses."

Cornelia could feel her heart pounding like a timpani. Could this be true? "You're lying" she shout back over the radio in a knee jerk reaction.

"But it's true. Lelouch and Nunnally have been living here in Japan for the past seven years, in secret and in safety."

"That's wonderful!" Cornelia said, feeling a sense of elation at the thought of seeing her beloved younger siblings again. "Tell me where they are and I –"

"No."

Cornelia felt the happiness that she had felt being replaced swiftly by anger. "How dare you! I demand me you tell me where they are, Why would you –"

"It's simple really. The reason I won't tell you where they are is because they don't _want_ to be found and returned to Pendragon."

"Why? Why could be there reason that they don't want to return to their family?"

"Because Lelouch is close to figuring out who killed his mother."

Cornelia felt herself go cold. This was an answer that she herself had been looking for quite some time. Now Zero was telling her that Lelouch, and by extension, knew something about the murder of the woman she had idolized? This had to be investigated, she had to know what they knew. "Why would that prevent them coming back?" Cornelia asked, hoping that the query would at least provoke a response.

"Because Lelouch knows that the true killer is someone in the Imperial Court. Someone with tremendous power and still close with the Emperor."

"That's impossible!" Cornelia said. But it was only a knee jerk reaction. Already her mind was going over the facts she already knew, and it made an eerie amount of sense. That night that the Empress had died, she had instructed Cornelia to remove her personal guard for the night. And hadn't the Emperor himself called off the investigation? Could there be a truth to what the masked man was saying. She needed to know more about the matter. "Well Zero, I don't know if you're telling me the truth, but I can't let you go now. You're going to have come with me."

"That was not the deal!" said the voice in what seemed to be a panicked tone. "I'm afraid that this where I leave you. Farewell!"

With that, the Sutherland began to back away as quickly it could. "Activate the brakes!" Cornelia barked over the radio.

"We can't Your Highness, the override controls won't respond!"

"Damn. All troops! Stop that Sutherland at all costs!"

"Yes Maam!"

Soon, a hail of bullets engulfed the Sutherland. It drove towards an abandoned building, and soon afterwards exploded. Cornelia rushed over, ready to apprehend Zero, but she couldn't find him. Getting out of the Gloucester, she went over to the wreckage, her two knights following close behind her. As she examined the burning carcass of the machine, she noticed something next to the cockpit capsule. Cornelia saw that the mask of Zero had fallen out a gash in the cockpit. As she held the damaged mask to her face, Cornelia muttered "Zero is dead". Her knights turned that whisper into a chant, and soon the entire force was yelling it as well as cryies of "Hail Britannia". This wasn't exactly she had pictured the moment. She had imagined holding this mask like Perseus holding the head of Medusa, standing triumphant over Clovis' murderer. Now, that satisfaction was tinged with regret and worry. In his final moments, Zero had told Cornelia information that she never thought she would receive. Now, the sole source of these revelations was dead, and she had no idea where to start looking. For the sake of Lelouch and Nunnally, she would find them. And she would keep them safe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Lelouch couldn't help but laugh to himself as he walked away from the Saitama ghetto and back to the metro for Ashford. His plan had nearly derailed itself, but the end result had been better than he could have hoped for. He had intended to fake his death, for two reasons. First was so that Cornelia would not spend as much time trying to draw him out. The second had been so that his "resurrection" would make a bigger splash, and solidify the loyalty of his followers. Now, not only had Lelouch accomplished his primary goal, but he sown seeds of distrust in Cornelia and given her something new to fret over. His laughter was now only maniacal. Zero was once again challenging fate; his rewrite of history began now, and no one could stop him.

* * *

a/n: And that's another chapter down. I've been on vacation this past week, so that's given me the opportunity to do more writing than I would normally have. I am going to be very busy for the next month or so, so don't expect regular updates. But also know that I haven't given up on the story. I have a clear vision for this story, and I have no intention of giving up on it.

Like what you read? Have a suggestion? Got a good recipe for a triple decker chocolate mousse? Leave a review!

Till the next chapter! - TWA


	6. Chapter 5: To Risk the Earth

A/N: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, R3 would have dropped by now.

A/N 2: Wow, this chapter was quick to write. Who knew that the morning commute on the train was such a good place to write?

A/N 3: Thanks to everyone who wrote a review. I understand that some of you feel like this story is following some formula, that it's becoming predictable. Well, here's the good news: Last week, I took some time and created an outline for this story. Now I know exactly (or at the very least, have a very good sense of) where this story is going. With that, I can say that I have a few surprises and original ideas in store for the future. (At least I think that they are original. On this website, you can never tell if someone hasn't already come up with an idea before you). I'm also nixing my "3000 words a chapter" rule. Now, each chapter will hold a certain events that I have decided beforehand, so we can move the story along quicker be more interesting (I hope).

Alright, enough of my BS. On Dancer! On Blitzen! On with the story!

* * *

 **Chapter 5: To Risk the Earth**

 _ **To risk the Earth, dare to explore its forbidden or misunderstood impulses. Establish in doing our own dwelling place. The history of all peoples is the ultimate point of our imaginative unconscious.**_ _– Edouard Glissant_

 _ **He who has the luck to be born as a character can laugh even at death. He cannot die.**_ _– Luigi Priandello_

"Well, let no one say that things stay stale around you."

These were C. C's first words to Lelouch as he walked into the clubhouse. She and Nunnally were sitting around the table, watching a news bulletin about the Saitama attack. As was expected, C.C was already halfway through yet another pizza. Lelouch turned his attention to the news that was playing. Like most Britannian news reports, the presentation was overly positive and tended to downplay any suffering on the part of Elevens. Special emphasis was placed on the death of Zero, the masked terrorist who had killed late Clovis. Lelouch could only smile at the comment. "What can I say, people like a show."

"Was this what you did this last time?" C.C asked, as she finished one slice and began another.

"No. Last time, I fell into the trap despite my best efforts. Thankfully, you decided to dress yourself up as Zero, which provided me enough time to escape."

"Hm." C.C watched as the news moved to on the upcoming Sakuradite conference, and left once she had finished the pie. With the immortal witch out of the room, Nunnally turned toward her brother. "Why did you tell her that you had travelled back in time?"

"I didn't. She figured that out on her own, since I wasn't surprised to see her alive."

"Huh." Nunnally mulled over that information for a minute. "That woman eats way too much pizza" she said, shifting the conversation.

"You have no idea" Lelouch responded. "Back when I was emperor, I got my hands on the Pizza Hut's archives. Apparently, she had ordered so much pizza that they had created a file dedicated solely to her."

"That's funny" Nunnally said with a chuckle. But Lelouch could hear a strain behind that chuckle, and knew that something was bothering her. "Nunnally, is something wrong?"

Nunnally sighed, and then looked at Lelouch with eyes of apprehension. "Big Brother, who killed our mother?"

"Why do you think that I- "

"I was listening in on your conversation with Cornelia. I know that you wouldn't have tease that sort of information unless you actually had the answer. So, who killed Mom?"

Now it was Lelouch's turn to sigh. He then looked his sister in the eye and said "It was V.V."

"Huh" said Nunnally as she mulled over this new piece of information. Lelouch had told her about V.V when she had asked why Lelouch would trust C.C after turning her over to the Emperor. According to her big brother, V. V was in charge of the Empire's Geass users, as well as the Emperor's brother. V.V also had powers similar to C.C, which is why she thought C.C had kidnapped her. Now, he was also apparently responsible for their mother's death. "What was his reason?" she continued.

"He was getting jealous of the relationship between our parents."

"And you found this out – "

"A Knight of the Round told me, and the Emperor later confirmed it. Does that answer all of your questions about our mother's death?"

Nunnally frowned. She had a suspicion that Lelouch wasn't be completely honest with that last answer. But she also knew that he had his reasons for withholding that information, the primary one being to protect her. When it came to anything related to her, Nunnally realized that her brother was surprisingly easy to read. He would prioritize her safety above anything, and he admitted that she was his own weak point. Which was why she could let that answer slid, for the moment at least. "For now. Do you think that Cornelia will find us, now that she knows we're alive?"

"I doubt it. Our covers have held for the past seven years, I don't see them failing now. In any case, Cornelia will have bigger things to worry about soon enough. Speaking of, have you set up the private channel yet?"

Nunnally smiled at the question. Listening in on the Viceroy's conversations had been useful, but they still didn't have a proper means to communicate between themselves and their soon-to-be allies. But that wouldn't be the case for too much longer. "It should be done the day before Milly and everyone leaves."

"Really? That's fast, all things considering."

"Have a little more faith in big brother. Besides, I had a little help." Nunnally's smile began to falter as she thought about that. She had managed to enlist Nina's expertise in the matter, and the bespectacled girl had been most helpful, but some of the questions had dangerously close to exposing its true purpose. It taken some quick thinking on Nunnally's part and a distraction in form of Milly trying to give Suzaku a pedicure to prevent Nina from pressing too far. _Before too long, I should ask Big Brother for a lesson on how to manipulate people_ she thought. Even without his Geass, Lelouch was a master of reading people and getting them to do things for him. It would be a really useful skill to have in the future. Bringing herself back to the conversation at hand, she said "The channel's not flawless. It will stay private through the Lake Kawaguchi incident, but I can't say how much longer it's privacy will last."

"That's okay, we can strengthen the signal later. I only have one more question: Nunnally, are _you_ ready?"

Nunnally flashed her brother a big grin full of confidence and excitement. "Are you kidding? I can't wait for my first mission as a Black Knight!"

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Clovis la Britannia left behind a troubled legacy. His supporters would claim that he had established a strong economic presence following the annexation of Area 11. His detractors would claim that his government was filled with corrupt nobles and incompetent yes-men, which failed to curb rampant crime, drug use, and terrorism. But one thing that everyone could agree on was that Prince Clovis had been passionate about the arts. As Viceroy, he had undertaken several public art programs, and taken steps to promote art throughout the various schools in Area 11. And Clovis had been an avid collector himself. While his collection was nowhere near the grandiosity that defined that of his sister Guinevere, it was still impressive in its own right, filled with priceless works of great renown.

It was one such piece, a Ming vase, that flew past Guilford's head and smashed against the wall.

"What do you _mean_ you've got no clue?" Cornelia yelled at her two knights.

"Well your highness, the two have been in hiding for seven years" Guilford said. "Their covers have had to been good enough to last that long, it makes sense that we can't find them just yet."

"Besides" her other knight Dalton said, "We just killed the only lead we have, any information that he had must have died with him."

"I don't care" Cornelia said with her head down in frustration, the determination still gleaming in her eyes. "I don't care if we don't sleep for the next three weeks. I don't care if we spend every pound that's left in our treasury. I don't care if we tear apart every single mountain on this godforsaken island. I WANT THEM FOUND!"

"Nelly? What's wrong? What happened?"

Cornelia looked up to see her younger sister in the door, her face full of worry and caution. She had seen the look Euphie before; it was the expression she wore when she approached a very angry dog. Her younger sister was also calling her by her childhood name, which she only did if either of them where seemed like they needed to be comforted. Cornelia then caught a glimpse of herself in a nearby mirror. The Second Princess had her hair disheveled, her uniform not nearly as neat as it usually was, and surrounded by debris that was clearly the result of her rage. _Maybe Euphie's behavior isn't unwarranted in this situation_ she thought. "Euphie, what are you doing still up?' Cornelia asked, feebly attempting to avoid the matter at hand. "Don't you have to get up early tomorrow?"

"I was doing paperwork. _Your_ paperwork, as it happens. But never mind that, what happened at Saitama? Why are you so upset?"

"Oh, don't worry about it's nothing."

Euphemia gave her sister a look of annoyance. "Right, you just decided to celebrate your victory today by subjugating your office to an impromptu redecoration job."

Cornelia sighed. _There's no keeping this from her, I guess_ she thought. "Leave the room" Cornelia ordered. "I want a word with my sister. _Alone_."

As her knights bowed and exited, Cornelia motioned at one of the few chairs that hadn't been overturned. Euphemia took a seat and looked at her sister. "Alright, so what has gotten into you sis?"

"It's something Zero said before he died. I had him cornered, and he tried to barter his way out with information about Lelouch and Nunnally."

"Really? What did he say?"

"He claimed that they are alive, and that they've been living in hiding."

"I knew it!" Euphie shouted, jumping out of her chair with youthful excitement. "I knew it! I knew it! I knew!"

"Calm down Euphie" her sister said wearily. "At this point, this is only a rumor from an unverified source. And Zero suggested some …unsettling thoughts to go with this news."

"What do you mean?" Euphemia asked, her eyes filled with curiosity, anxiety, and anticipation.

"He said that Lelouch and Nunnally didn't want to be found. And he suggested that … Lelouch may be close to solving his mother's murder."

"Did he say anything about who killed the Empress?"

"Only that the killer was a member of the Imperial Court, someone who was close of the Emperor."

Euphemia's eyes grew wide. "But…but that would mean that the Emperor would have had a hand in covering up Marianne's murder?"

"I know that's hard to believe, but it fits. I was the head of Marianne's guard; she had sent us away for the night. You were too young to remember, but the late Empress didn't trust many people in the court. That means she trusted whoever that she met that night. Plus, the emperor himself ceased all investigation into Marianne's death. That makes no sense by itself, but it would if the killer was someone close to him. And there is one other thing…."

Cornelia got up from her seat and started to look through the papers that had been scattered on the ground thanks to an overturned desk. She found the piece of paper that she was looking for and handed it to Euphemia. "What's this?" she asked.

"This was something that I uncovered when I was going through Clovis' personal investigation into the matter, it's something that he uncovered" Cornelia said. "It's an OSI report on Kururugi shrine, the home of the former Prime Minister and where Lelouch and Nunnally were staying."

Euphemia nodded, knowing what Cornelia had meant, but not said: This was where Lelouch and Nunnally were _supposed_ to have died, killed in a bombing meant for the Prime Minister. "This shows that OSI had been tracking the Prime minister for two weeks" Cornelia continued "and they knew that he hadn't been at the shrine for five days."

Euphemia's eyes widened at the implications. "I see why they don't want to be found" she said.

"I agree" Cornelia said. "We need to find them as soon as possible. That's why I was so angry just now. The longer Lelouch and Nunnally are not in our protection, the more exposed they are."

"True," said Euphemia "but we need to proceed cautiously as well. If we're not careful, we could lead the ones responsible straight to them."

Cornelia facepalmed herself. "Of course. I can't believe that I didn't realize that earlier. I must be more tired than I thought"

She suddenly felt herself in a hug. "It's ok." Euphie said consolingly. "We _will_ find them. And we will be a happy family again."

Cornelia returned the hug, all the while thinking _I will find Lelouch and Nunnally. Then I will destroy the bastard who was foolish enough to tear apart our family!_

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Kallen, are you sure you should be here today? You don't look too good."

"I'm fine Milly!" Kallen snapped "I just need some fresh air, give me a minute!" And with that, Kallen rushed out of the Student Council clubhouse. Once she was off to the side, she started trying to catch her breath. _This is all my fault_ she thought. _It's the damn Butterfly Effect, isn't it? What was it something I did that led to Lelouch dying...again? Was it something I ate? Should I have eaten the ham sandwich instead of the turkey? No, it can't be that, this is too substantial. Did I do something differently during one of the missions? Oh please tell me it wasn't that I got Mom off of Refrain! I-_

"Kallen, are you okay?" asked Lelouch

"Lelouch! Oh thank god" Kallen said as she ran into Lelouch and embraced him. She quickly let go as she realized her mistake, her face the color of her hair. "Sorry about that, it's just that I thought…you had been hurt the other day."

"That…that's okay" responded Lelouch, his face a similar shade of red. "Why did that warrant a hug?"

"Because you are important to…t-to the Council! We would never get the budget balanced without you!"

"T-thank you. You're important as well…as-as a member of the council as well."

They both stood around awkwardly, each unsure what to say to the other out of fear that they would give away themselves away, unaware that the other already knew. "So," Kallen said, trying to turn the conversation in a different direction "what are you plans for the weekend? Are you going with Milly to Lake Kawaguchi?"

"No, I got something planned with Nunnally. She's enjoying having her eyesight back, so I'm treating her to a show. How about you?"

"No, I have something planned with my boyfriend."

" _WHAT?_ "

"Oh, we recently met" Kallen explained hurriedly, attempting to cover her Freudian slip. "But he really gets me, you know? He has a tendency to be dramatic, but he can inspire you like no other. And he has a sensitive side that you just can't help but fall for."

"That's sounds r-r-really lovely" Lelouch stuttered out, too stunned by surprise and jealously to realize that Kallen was talking about him. Before they could take the conversation any further, Milly suddenly appeared. "Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine" Kallen responded. "We were just about to get back to work, weren't we Lelouch?"

"Yes, we were, Madam President" concurred Lelouch.

As they entered the clubhouse, both of the time travelers thought over the other's statements, and concluded that they had been lying. What both failed to realize was that, in their own way, they both had been telling the truth.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

"All right, what is the plan?"

Ohgi was looking towards his leader. Earlier, they had gotten the call from him and received an address for their meeting place. Surprisingly, they had found the supposedly dead Zero alive and well. When asked about his "death", he had laughed. "Come now" Zero had said, "Surely you don't believe everything you hear in the news".

"The plan is very simple" Zero was saying now, bringing Ohgi out of his memories and back to the moment. "I will requisition a news truck and convince Cornelia to let me into the hotel. Meanwhile, all teams will make their way into the service entrance, from there you will receive further instructions from K-2."

Ohgi nodded. Upon inspection of their new hideout, they had seen on the TV that a rouge faction of the Japanese Liberation Front had taken over the Lake Kawaguchi hotel. Zero, upon seeing this, had declared that they were going to rescue the hostages. The entire crew was down for it, but no one knew exactly how it was going to go down. All they knew was that they were going to be doing were going to do it as "knights of justice", which entailed a new uniform for everyone.

After that, they split up; Zero went to find a new van, and everyone else made their way to the service entrance. As they arrived, Ohgi spoke into the radio. "All teams have reached the service. Requesting further instructions from K-2."

"This is K-2" said a voice over the radio. Ohgi felt his eyes slightly widen. The voice that was coming over the radio seemed quite young, and the accent suggested that it may not be wholly Japanese. Despite this, Ohgi managed to accept it. _After all, our ace is a half-Britannian high schooler_ he thought. But still, others had a harder time.

"What the hell?" Tamaki said, being his usual rebellious self. "Why is a child relaying instructions through my ear?"

"If you have a problem with me" said the voice exasperatedly, "then feel free to take it up with Zero after all of this is over. In the meantime, here are your instructions. Teams 1 and 2, you will head to the sublevel basement with the duffel bags. Teams 3 and 4, you will go to the ballroom and secure the hostages. Team 5, you will move to the lobby area and await for the TV van to arrive."

With that, the teams split up and went to their respective places. As Ohgi was with the first team, he went down into the basement level. Once in the basement, the two teams were sent in different directions. Once they were at one set of foundations, K-2 directed Ohgi's team to place a number of bombs that had been in the duffel bags on the surrounding walls and arm them. Once that task had been completed, K-2 had directed them to a yacht that belonged to the hotel. Upon arrival, they were told to prepare the yacht. All the while, there heard status updates from the rest of the teams. As they sat on the yacht, waiting for the other teams, Ohgi found that he had to calm a sense of restlessness that was nagging him. _I did my part, all I can do now is hope that the others have done the same_ he told himself in order to calm his anxiety.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Zero had to admit, there was a certain poeticness to the whole situation. The first time he saw Euphie was the same as the last: the two of them surrounded by victims by the bloodied victims of his Geass. _Okay that may not have been totally accurate_ , he thought, but it was still really good to see her again. He could even feel a tear or two welling up in his eye. Euphemia clearly didn't harbor similar feelings. Instead, she approached him with a sense of wariness and apprehension. "So, Zero" she said began conversationally, "it appears you've come back from the dead."

He had to laugh at that. "It wouldn't be the first time. But now, my resurrections are probably what you are least interested in. Go on, ask your questions; I'll answer while there is still time."

Euphie sighed. She had so many questions, she didn't know where to start. She decided to start with the most immediate. "What happened to Lt. Kusakabe and his men?"

"They just killed themselves, realizing the pointlessness of their attack" Lelouch lied smoothly "Next question?"

"Why did you kill my brother Clovis? Was it vengeance?"

"No. I killed Clovis because of a side project of his; something known by the name of 'Code-R'. I urge you take a look at it; it's quite shocking."

"And what of my siblings Lelouch and Nunnally? Is it true that they live?"

Lelouch felt himself choke up a little. "It is true."

"Really?" Euphemia asked him, her eyes overbright. "Where are they? How can I talk to them again?"

"I'm afraid that's not possible" Lelouch said with a heavy heart. "They are currently safe, and they'll stay that way as long as they are hidden. Still, if you insist on persisting, this may be of some use." With that, he took out a black envelope and slid across the table. Euphie picked it up, but before she could do anything, a ping came on Zero's phone. "What is it?" Euphie asked.

"I've just been informed that the Viceroy is about to send the Lancelot into the tunnel attack the Raiko cannon. This could upset the foundation of the building, so we need to get moving. Quick! Head to the marina next to the lobby!"

Euphemia, surprised by this turn of events, nodded in obedience and moved out of the room. Zero took a second to look out into the cloudless night, at the star-laced sky. _I don't know who or what gave me this second chance, but I intend to make the most of it. This time, nothing will stop me; not Cornelia, not the Emperor, not Geass, not even fate itself. I will destroy this corrupt world again, and I will make it anew in the peaceful image that my sister envisioned!_

Xxxxxxxxxxx

The first thing that was heard was an explosion in the tunnel. Soon afterwards, a white Knightmare jumped from the tunnel. Then another series of explosions occurred and the hotel collapsed from the ground. Then a white ship sailed through the wreckage, surrounded by what appeared to be its life boats. A spotlight turned and revealed Zero, the man that the world had believed dead for the past week; or at least until he had appeared at the hotel, claiming he could go in and rescue the hostages. Behind him stood several men and women, each clad in a uniform of silver and black, complete with a black mask.

 **Hear us Britannians! We are the Black Knights!** the masked man said. **Fear not, for I have rescued the hostages!**

And indeed, as the life boats came into the view of the cameras, they would zoom in to see that hostages were indeed alive and safe, if a little shaken.

 **The divine justice that I have bestowed upon Lt. Kusakabe and his men is a demonstration of our goals. It is to help those who are powerless to throw off the yoke of their oppressors. To that end we will stop at nothing. We challenge empires; we will defy gods; we will risk the Earth itself. Fear us or rally behind us, do as you see fit! For we will stand in judgement of the world, we will be a true force of justice!**

 **And justice never dies.**

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kallen had do everything in her power to maintain her disciplined appearance. She couldn't help but feel completely fired up and flushed with power following that speech. This was what she was made for, this was her purpose. Now, she was officially a Black Knight again. Now, she could do anything.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Nunnally could feel herself grinning at Lelouch's speech. This was a side of her brother that she hadn't been able to appreciate too much in the other timeline. This was not Lelouch the gentle caretaker, Lelouch the aloof student, or Lelouch the cruel emperor. Here was her Lelouch the revolutionary, who would take on take on Empires and win. Here was the version of her brother who would change the world. With this speech, Nunnally felt that the perfect world that they both desired was in reach; all they had to do was grab it.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Geass Master was very pleased with how Lelouch was doing with his second chance. Truly, the boy was an endless source of entertainment. He could see into Lelouch's mind, and saw that this is where he intended to stop following the script of fate. Here is where he would really start to change things. The Geass Master smiled. Not even the gods couldn't see where this was going to go, but boy is it going to be a ride finding out.

* * *

a/n: And that's where I'll leave it. Hopefully, this a bit less formulaic that the other chapters. If you don't feel that way, then I hope you stick around for when I start instituting some of my more original ideas.

a/n 2: Seriously though, when the balls is R3 dropping?

Comments? Questions? Insidious Remarks? Leave a review!

Till the next chapter! -TWA


	7. Chapter 6: Fire on the Mountain

It's time for another installment of _Demon's Resurrection and Queen's Promotion_! We may not be the most original story on this website, but we do update! (not on any sort of regular schedule, but still) Before we get started, a couple of things:

A/N: Just a heads up: This is a LONG chapter. There was a lot I wanted to get done here, and the it ended up being the longest chapter of this story (thus far). I think that the alternate title for this one could be "The Super Stuffed Chapter", because I put a lot in here.

A/N 2: In lieu of a legal disclaimer, here's a short poem I wrote:

 _Before the bounty of a feast_

 _Her eyes grow and grow and grow_

 _She wants to devour all she sees_

 _Even though her stomach says no_

 _"It all looks so delicious" she says_

 _"I want to taste it all"_

 _Yet after three bites or so_

 _She finds her stomach too small_

A/N 3: Sorry if the chapters are taking so long to come out. There are two reasons for this. The first is that I've moved to a more content based system of breaking up chapters, so they are now based on where they progressed to instead of word count. The second is that my schedule is very tight at the moment, so the time I have to write is limited (most of the last 2-3 chapters were written during my daily commute via train). I expect my schedule to clear up in August, but for now I can only ask for your patience. This story will not be abandoned, I promise you that.

A/N 4: The story has broken 100 followers! THIS IS AWESOME! Thank you to all of you for coming along for this journey. I can only hope that the story stays as entertaining as it has been.

A/N 5: I just wanted to briefly explain the change in rating (this story used to be K+). The thing is that the ratings on this website are very vague, and I don't know what exactly is allowed in each category. I've upped the rating so that at least I have some room to expand plots and themes as I see fit during the next chapters.

Alright, enough lollygagging around, let's get to it. On with the story!

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Fire on the Mountain**

 _ **Great Events have incalculable results**_ **– Victor Hugo**

 _ **Beware, the rock changes**_ **– King Hrothgar**

Kallen couldn't help but walk through the park with a spring in her step. Ever since Zero rescued the hostages from the Lake Kawaguchi hotel and the Black Knights made their debut, they had been on a roll. They had been hitting hard against the corrupt and the criminal with a vengeance. Refrain dealers, human traffickers, extortionists; all were brought to heel by the Black Knights. Their successes were also forcing Cornelia to step up her own efforts to curb crime as well. As a result, crime was at an all time low since the occupation, and the Black Knights were heroes to the Japanese and Britannians alike.

 _But it's not a perfect world just yet_ Kallen thought as she spotted a group of Britannians beating up a Japanese street vendor. She was about to follow her instincts and intervene when a hand grabbed her shoulder. She turned around and saw her commander behind her, giving her a look warning her not to do anything. Kallen heeded Lelouch's warning; but the Britannian hooligans must have sensed her hostility, for they took a break from beating the vendor to stare down the two students. "You got a problem with how we're conducting our business?"

"No," said Lelouch "but you look like _you're tired of beating up Elevens_. Is that right?"

"Yes, yes we are." The group said, responding to the subtle Geass command. They then proceeded to go on their separate ways. Meanwhile, Kallen went to check on the street vendor, who proceeded to launch into a sales pitch. For the poor man's trouble, Lelouch bought two ice creams. Soon, the two were sitting on a park bench with their frozen treats.

"It's disgusting how those Britannians treated that man." Kallen said, still bristling at the incident.

"True" Lelouch responded "but that is the price of doing business for him."

"What do you mean?"

"Being part of the Britannian Empire has its perks. Under its rule, Area 11 has a surety of military and economic protection. As such, there are costs to such protection, like submitting to the Numbers system. That Eleven knew that such attacks would likely happen; it's just a cost of doing business. He knows that if he bows to Britannia, he could live a better life."

It took everything Kallen had to not slap Lelouch a second time. She had to remind herself of who she was talking too. She knew that this was all a facade, that Lelouch was telling her lies. But hearing it those words out his mouth just seemed to infuriate her to no end. So she decided to channel her frustration in a different manner. "Maybe that's true now. But I'll change it for the future. I'll make the world a better place for everyone, you can just sit on your apathetic ass and grow old in comfort."

Kallen could see a near invisible grin flash across Lelouch's face as he said "Well then, good luck."

The two sat there for a little while longer, both unsure of where to proceed. Kallen decided to break the silence with some small talk. "So how was the show with Nunnally been doing?"

"She's been doing very well. She recently picked up a few new hobbies, and she has been really enjoying them."

"Really? What type of hobbies?" Kallen already knew what Lelouch was referring to. She was still shocked that Lelouch, whose instinct to protect Nunnally above all else, would allow her to join the Black Knights. Even more shocking was how well Nunnally had managed to integrate herself into the rebel army. She had taken over most of the communications and co-ordinations, dispelling some of the early chaos that had plagued the operations during the first rebellion.

"Mostly computers and communications. She's been getting a lot of help from Nina, and she's really excited" Lelouch replied, grinning as he thought about some of the non-computer things that Nunnally had now involved herself in. She had managed to talk him into giving her acting lessons by saying she might need to talk her way out of a situation sooner or later, and was becoming almost as good as him. And Lelouch suspected that she was having Sayoko train her behind his back; he just couldn't prove it. "How's your boyfriend?"

"WHAT?" Kallen said instinctively, before remembering the lie she had told Lelouch the a few weeks back. "Oh, right. He's doing fine. We keep going on all these exciting dates, but sometimes I wish he would take it down a notch. Sometimes…I wonder if he appreciates me for what I truly am."

"Kallen, of course he does."

"How would you know –"

"Because" Lelouch said, as he stared deep into the wide sapphire eyes, "Anyone who doesn't appreciate _you_ for who you truly are is a complete idiot.

Kallen could her cheeks fill with color as her heart began to imitate a jackhammer. _What does he mean by that? Does he actually think I have a boyfriend? No, he's too smart to fall for that lie. Is he talking about Zero or himself? Is he saying he sees my value as a member of the Black Knights? Or is he- is he-_

Kallen was spared from her train of thought by the sound of her phone going off. "Yes?"

"Kallen, it's me Ohgi. Listen…your mom was hit by a car –"

"WHAT?"

"She's doing fine, apparently it's only a broken leg. We're currently at the hospital next to Ikebukuro –"

"Great, I'll be right over." With that, Kallen hung up the phone, and jumped up out of the bench. "What's wrong?" Lelouch asked in a concerned tone.

"It's my mother, she was just hit by a car, she's in the hospital near Ikebukuro-"

"Let's go. I know a shortcut there." Lelouch said, getting up from the bench.

"Right" Kallen said, grateful that Lelouch cared and knowing that at the very least, he could prevent her mother from being thrown out of the hospital.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As Hori Kozuki chided Shinichiro Tamaki over how he had conducted himself during a date with a mutual acquaintance, Kaname Ohgi sat deep in thought, mulling over a memory from a week ago.

 _Man, Zero has got us running ragged over the past few weeks._

 _Just wait Tamaki. It will probably get worse after that thing that he has planned in Narita._

 _What are you talking about Kallen?_

 _N-Nothing! It was something he mentioned to me a few days ago, in private._

 _But we haven't seen the man himself in a few days. We've mostly been getting messages from over the radio._

 _It must have been the last time I saw him Ohgi, I can barely remember what day it is. Anyways, where are you with –_

 _Don't go changing the subject Kallen. You know who Zero is, don't you!_

 _N-NO I DON'T! D-Don't come up with ridiculous things Tamaki!_

 _Heh-heh-heh. Me thinks the lady protest too much._

 _Shut up, baka! When do you quote Shakespeare anyways?_

After that, Minami had come in and told them that they had another op. But ever since then, Ohgi had been turning over the memory in her mind. Did Kallen know Zero? If so, how did she know him? Was it –

"Mom!" Kallen said as she entered the hospital room and rushed into a hug with Hori. Behind her was a lanky Britannian teenager, dressed in a uniform that bore the exact same sigil as Kallen's. "So glad you could make it Kallen-chan." Hori said, engulfed in a hug with her daughter.

"You okay Mom?"

"I'm fine honey. Doctor says that I should make a speedy recovery." Hori noticed someone behind Kallen. "Say, who's your friend behind you?"

"Oh right. This is Lelouch Lamprouge. He was with me when Ohgi called, and he showed me a shortcut to get here so quickly."

"Pleasure to make all of your acquaintances" the boy named Lelouch said as he shook everybody's hand.

"To think that I would meet _two_ polite students who attended your school today. You're truly getting a world class education."

"What do you mean second stu-" Kallen's question was answered before it was asked when the blonde student came back in saying "Alright, I got the hospital administrator to not override the doc- Kallen! Glad you could make it!"

"Milly! What are you doing here?"

It was Hori who answered. "This nice young lady was in the area when I was hit. She helped Tamaki and Ohgi get me here."

"She was also managed to convince the doctors to treat Hori-san rather than throw us out on the street, and has just done the same with the hospital administrator" Ohgi added.

"Thank you so much Milly!"

"Oh, it was nothing. So, what are you doing here Lulu?"

"W-Well, I was with Kallen when she got the news-"

"Oh, the two of you… together? Alone?"

"It was nothing like that!" The both of them quickly said, their faces becoming flushed with red.

While Milly continued to needle the pair, Tamaki turned to Ohgi. "Man, what are we going to do about these two Brits?" he asked in Japanese.

"There's nothing we can do" Ohgi responded, using the same language. "A secret can only stay a secret for so long. Besides, what do you think would happen if two Britannian students were attacked? The cops would go crazy."

"I know, but we can't do nothing. I say that the two of us follow them when they leave and just threaten them. Brits fold really easy, they're like beach chairs."

"Beach chairs? Really? The way I hear it, most 'Brits' are pigs, those can't be easy to fold" Lelouch said, in perfect Japanese.

The room looked at him, stunned. Ms. Kozuki finally broke the silence. "Lelouch-san, your Japanese is very good."

"Thank you. My sister and I lived in Japan since before the invasion."

"Hey!" Tamaki said in his trademark loud voice. "Where did the blonde go?"

" _Milly_ left, said she had some business to take care of" Kallen said. "You would have noticed it if you weren't doing a bad impression of a movie gangster."

"Unfortunately, I must leave as well" Lelouch said as he checked his phone. "But I can assure all of you that I will keep Kallen's secret. And while I am confident that Milly will as well, I'll talk with her and make sure that it stays secret. It was wonderful meeting everyone, I hope we can see each other soon." With that, the raven-haired teen left the room.

"You see Tamaki-chan, it's that kind of tact that prevents you from ever getting a second date." Hori said. "Thank you two for bringing me here, but if you don't mind, I would like to spend some time with my daughter."

"Of course, Hori-san. We'll visit you soon." And with that, Ohgi got up and left, dragging a stuttering Tamaki with him. All the while, Ohgi's mind was turning. _It's strange that Kallen's friend (Lelouch was it?) spoke such good Japanese. And that he said Japan instead of Area 11. Regardless of which language he was speaking, his voice still sounds very familiar._

 _I swear, his voice is an almost exact match for…_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"It's nice to see you getting out and about again. Even if you won't be able to for a little while" Kallen said, while happily reflecting on her mother's progress the past few months. Ever since her mother to give up her Refrain addiction, she was becoming her old self. She had been going out, talking to many of her old friends, even cooking once again. It had been really been good to eat some of the meals that she had eaten in her childhood.

"With the help of your friends, I'll be out and walking in no time. And I'm happy you've managed to make some friends outside of the Black Knights."

"Mom, what are – "

"Honey, I've noticed that you've been sneaking out more often. And every one of your 'trips' coincides with a big Black Knights exploit the next day. And even if you were wearing a visor, I could still see you on the yacht after the hotel hijacking. You don't need to defend yourself" Hori said as Kallen opened her mouth to do just that. "If the worst thing you're doing is fighting corruption and injustice, then I can be happy that I raised such a righteous child. All I ask is that you focus on other things as well; a revolutionary isn't going to snag a boy like Lelouch."

For what felt like the hundredth time today, Kallen's face turned red. "M-Mom, what are you talking about?"

"Honey, I could see the way you looked at him. I've seen plenty of women with that look before. _I've_ had that look before. I'm glad that despite all that's been going on, you've still managed to be a normal teenage girl. Now sit down" Hori said, indicating a chair next to her. "I want to make sure that you can conduct yourself on a date and not wind up like Tamaki."

After what felt like an hour, Kallen left to go back home. She kept going over her mother's advice, only because it was pleasant to think about her and Lelouch on a date together. She was also thinking about seeing her mother more often, as this had been a pleasant trip. She would have to miss seeing her mother for a few days as the Black Knights would -

She stopped as she realized what was next in the timeline. Narita! The battle had been many things for Kallen, but the one she was remembering one thing that happened afterwards: The funeral for Shirley's father. Her primary thoughts concerning her inexplicable time travel had been saving people, here was an opportunity. Kallen began to walk with a new purpose. Here was a chance to save someone who was close to a friend of hers. She began to formulate ways to obtain Mr. Fennette's phone number and get behind the hospital's reception desk. Here was her chance to save another life.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Here we have a chance to save a life." Lelouch said as he was looking at a map of Narita.

"We have a chance to save many lives, if you're plans work out." Nunnally said, sipping her tea.

"True, but Shirley's survival is contingent on her father's. It's his death that starts the path to her own death."

"Right, which is why you're trying to prevent the landslide from reaching the city. You sure that your calculations are correct?"

"As sure as I can be without consulting someone else, which we agreed was too risky. I don't know if any civilians will get hurt, but hopefully this will be enough that it won't to risk Mr. Fennette." They had discussed ways to lure him out of the city, but couldn't could think of a way that could be seen as credible.

"At the very least, it will hopefully prevent Suzaku from developing more of a vendetta against you."

"That leads me to the other area of concern: Suzaku. Last time, the battle of Narita would've been a success if Suzaku hadn't appeared out of nowhere. We need to come up with a way to limit him on the battlefield, but none of the pilots are up to scratch yet to take on the Lancelot."

"If we can't take care of him on the battlefield, then we'll just have to take care of him before he gets on the battlefield."

"How do you propose that?"

Nunnally eyed her teacup. "I have an idea. You better go take care of logistics and schedules for Narita, I'll handle this." With that, she began to text on her phone and called out for the ninja-maid in order to get her expertise on poisons.

Xxxxxxxxxx

"…and that concludes the finance report, Viceroy."

"Thank you." With that, Cornelia sat back in her chair and sighed as the minster left. The past few weeks had been very trying for her. It was one thing that the Black Knights had been very active in attacking numerous criminal outfits and embarrassing the authorities at every level. But her job was being further complicated by the nobles in Area 11. During Clovis' tenure as the Viceroy, the aristocrats who had ingratiated themselves with him had operated with nearly unchecked power. Upon finding that his replacement was not interested planning to play by the same rules, they began their own rebellion. Not an openly large scale rebellion like those waged by the Black Knights and the Japanese Liberation Front, but a smaller, sneakier, and yet deadlier one. For while the Viceroy had theoretically unlimited power in their Area, the nobles could make things very difficult for them. It was never anything individually significant: a shipment of Knightmare parts may be delayed by several weeks, crates of ammunition would be "stolen" from its warehouse, rumors of the Viceroy's predilections in bed may be spread at various parties and functions. But put all together, it created an environment that made it impossible for Cornelia to do her job. For example, she was finding it hard to acquire funds need to fight the rebellions. According to the report she had just heard, the little money in the treasury that hadn't been lost to graft and misuse was being denied to her by the council, who decided how that money would be spent. And given how many of Clovis' old cronies and flatters were on that council, Cornelia was fairly certain that she wouldn't be getting that money anytime soon. "Who's next on my schedule?" she asked her secretary tiredly.

"Your sister, princess. She is sitting outside as we speak."

"Very well. Send her in." With that, Euphemia entered her office. If there had been one bright spot in Cornelia's time in Area 11, it was her sister Euphie. Her presence had a way of making her day better, even if the situation was horrendous. In addition, she began to demonstrate her worth as an administrator, proving herself a master of bookkeeping, investigation, and management. This was why Cornelia had entrusted her with two of the most sensitive matters within the Area. "So, have there been any updates?"

"On which matter?"

"Let's begin with Code-R".

Euphie sighed and separated a set of files, placing one group on the table while holding on to the other. "Here are the latest on the sources that Clovis used to fund his… _experiments_. Most of the people in charge of these funds are clamming up, as usual."

Cornelia sighed as she scanned the documents. Almost immediately as Euphemia had told her about the project, the two of them had scoured Clovis' documents to find out what they could. What little they had uncovered was shocking and sickening. Code – R, as it had transpired, was a project dedicated to some sort of immortality. The mad quest had taken the form of various experiments on some poor woman, some of which were borderline inhumane. They had also discovered that it was where a lot of the money had been funneled, making it a big part of the current financial situation. It was also the reason behind the entire Shinjuku incident; Cornelia could see why Clovis had reacted as such, for any situation where word of his project got out would end disastrously for him. So far, all records seemed to end with the day of the Shinjuku incident and Clovis' death. But what had to be strangest thing was that Cornelia felt like she had seen the test subject somewhere; she just couldn't remember. "Do we have any knowledge of the current whereabouts of the test subject?"

"Ever since the transport was hijacked and lost in the Shinjuku ghetto, there have been no sightings of this 'C.C', neither in there nor anywhere else."

"And what of the project currently?" In the wake of Clovis' death, the project had up and moved its operations. However, this was done in such a way that no one had any idea where the project was currently. But that they had come across rumors about its current location, so hopefully…

"No, no confirmation about its current location. At this point, we have three possibilities: Sapporo, Nagoya, and Narita. We'll begin the search with Narita, as soon as we conclude Operation Erebor."

"Right" Cornelia said, rubbing her eyes. Operation Erebor was the operation that would drive the JLF out of its mountain base; thus the name was chosen to draw a comparison towards the dwarves ridding the dragon Smaug. Euphie had objected to the name, since the dragon was the symbol of China, but no one seemed to pay it any mind. "And what of the other matter?" Cornelia asked as she brought her mind back to the conversation at hand.

"Unfortunately, no luck with that one. It appears Lelouch has not only erased his and Nunnally's existence, but he's laid several false trails. We've had 12 leads; Clovis disproved 7 of them, we've fully disproved another 2, and we're still investigating the remaining 3. I doubt they'll lead to him, but hopefully there's a clue that will _actually_ lead to our siblings. But that doesn't change that the one _actual_ lead that we have is still in the wind, and I doubt that he will yield anything useful willingly. "

Cornelia sighed tiredly as she thought about Zero. When the masked vigilante had reappeared at Lake Kawaguchi, she had hoped to capture quickly, so that they could force him to give up Lelouch's and Nunnally's location. Unfortunately, Zero had proven to be very slippery, always gone whenever the police and the military got wind of a Black Knights attack, making him a source of embarrassment for the current administration. Even more infuriating was the letter he had given Euphie, which read as such:

 _Dear Princesses_

 _If you are reading this, it means that you are still looking for Lelouch and Nunnally. I now must tell you to cease your investigations. If you couldn't figure out what I told you last time, I'll now spell it out for you: The murder of Marianne vi Britannia was orchestrated by someone in the imperial court, and the Emperor covered it up. This person still has influence in the court, and they will attack the siblings if they get wind that they are alive. Lelouch and Nunnally are safe, and I intend for them to stay that way. Therefore, I ask you to cease your investigations; if not for the sake of their safety, then for your own._

 _Sincerely_

 _Zero_

 _P.S: I don't intend to leave you with nothing, so I have attached something to help you out:_

What had followed turned out to be a recipe for triple decker chocolate mousse. The Second Princess would have found that funny, if the situation wasn't so serious. "Well then," Cornelia said as she got up from her seat. "I suppose there really isn't anything we can do until we crush the JLF once and for all. Go and prepare for Erebor."

"Yes, Viceroy." Euphemia stood up to leave when she was suddenly enveloped into a hug. "I'm proud of you, Euphie. You're doing great."

Euphie returned the hug, reflecting on how common these hugs were becoming since Kawaguchi and hoping that there would be more to come in the future.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

The battle was about to begin. Suzaku knew that he should be feeling certain things: excitement, aggression, determination. He also knew that it was not uncommon to feel other things: fear, anxiety, dread. He knew that these feelings could vary from person to person, warrior to warrior.

In any case, he knew that he shouldn't be feeling nauseous.

"Suzaku, are you okay?" Cecile asked him, with a look of concern on her face.

"I'm fine" he responded as wobbled in his seat a bit. What had he eaten that was causing this? Was it the store-bought ramen he had the other night or the milk bun he had for breakfast? It can't have been the tea he had with Nunnally the other day, she had prepared it herself. Suddenly, Suzaku remembered; he had a rice ball prepared by Cecile! What had she filled with this time? Whatever it was, it had tasted weirder than that time she had used blueberries-

"Is everything ready here?" General Darlton asked as he came in.

"Well, my Lancelot is all dolled up and ready to go" Lloyd said, with the usual indifference towards superior officers that always seemed to accompany him. "However, our dear pilot seems to come down with some kind of stomach bug."

"Hmm. So you're saying he shouldn't participate in Operation Erebor?" the general said.

"No, sir!" Suzaku said, standing up suddenly. "I'll be able –" he was going to say "to fight", but it came out with his breakfast in a hurl of vomit.

"You're staying in today solider" Darlton said.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Lelouch looked down from the mountain with a sense of confidence he hadn't felt in a while. The stage was set, the players were ready. Or at least mostly. Still, the last time a plan came together this neatly was with the Zero Requiem, and this time he wouldn't have to kill himself. As he came up on his troops, he shouted "Everyone, Battle Stations!"

With that, everyone moved to their positions; those who were piloting Knightmares went to their Knightmares, and those who had land positions went to their checkpoints. Settled into his Knightmare, Zero spoke into the radio. "C.C, are you ready?"

"I suppose so" the immortal responded nonchalantly.

"K-2, are you ready?"

"Yes Sir!" came the enthusiastic response.

"Q-1, are you ready?"

"Yes, Zero-sama" Kallen said, quietly hoping that Mr. Fenette had taken the call she had made to him at the hospital seriously.

"All teams report in."

" _Murasakino_ team, reporting in"

" _Kogane_ team ready.

" _Kuro_ team ready."

"Very well then. It appears we are all in position and accounted for. K-2, are _they_ in position?"

"Yes, K-1, the Viceroy's troops are in postion."

"Very well, let's show Britannian the power of the Black Knights! Q-1, ignite the charge!"

"Yes, sir!" Kallen couldn't help but smile as she charged up the familiar weapon.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

The first warning the Britannian soldiers had was as sound like a thunderstorm. Soon afterwards, they found the landscape changing rapidly, both in terms of battle and topography. The majority were crushed in a rockslide. Those that survived that soon found that they had to contend with a new enemy: The Black Knights.

Cornelia could barely believe the radio transmissions that were coming in. The battle had been hers! Now, her forces were fighting left and right to stay alive. Who could be behind –

"Maam! Zero has been spotted on the battlefield!"

Cornelia tensed. Zero was proving himself a problem yet again. However, this could used to turn this to a unique opportunity. "All forces! Zero has been spotted on the battlefield! Capture Zero! This is now a top priority! And I want him _alive_!"

A chorus of "Yes Maam!"s came through the radio. Soon afterwards, however, a pilot put some unusual news through the radio. "Maam, there's … there's a girl running around the battlefield."

"Girl? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Seems to be a young lass, with green hair –"

Cornelia's eyes widened. Was she really going to get this lucky? "Everyone!" she called into the radio, "If you see a green haired girl running around, capture her as well!"

"Yes – Ah! AAHHHHHHHH!"

"What's going on?"

"It's the green haired girl, Viceroy! She's- AHHHHHHHHHH!"

 _What on earth is happening?_ Cornelia thought. She then turned to see two unique knightmares, a modified Burai and a red one with a specialized arm, coming straight towards her. _I guess I'm not as luck as I thought_ , The Second Princess mused as she readied herself for battle.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lelouch smiled to himself. The battle was going better than expected. Between the landslide, C.C, and his troops, Britannian soldiers were being dispatched at what he believed to be a record rate. Soon, he and Kallen would have Cornelia in custody, and the battle would be over. And he didn't even have to fight –

"Warning, the Lancelot has entered the battle!"

 _WHAT? HOW?_ Zero screamed in his head. According to Sayoko, the amount of poison that Nunnally had administered to Suzaku should have kept him bed ridden. According to the ninja maid, only a "complete fool with no sense of self-preservation" would try to pilot a Knightmare in with that much poison with him. Which, now that Lelouch thought about it, was a dead-on description of Suzaku. So once again, the Lancelot had become a wildcard that he hadn't accounted for. Just as he was formulating a plan, he heard Kallen's voice over the radio. "Don't worry about the Lancelot, I got this, you just get Cornelia into the enclosure."

Zero acknowledged and made for Cornelia while Q-1 made for Suzaku. _If there is anyone who can beat Suzaku, it has to be Kallen_.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kallen had been waiting for this. Suzaku had been a nuisance for too long; he always seemed to have a way to be in the wrong place at the wrong time so he could mess up Lelouch's plans. But now, he could finally be stopped. Kallen had last fought in a half broken-down Glasgow, now she had her Guren back. Nothing could prevent her from finally claiming victory over Suzaku.

As it turned out, beating easier to beat Suzaku then she ever thought for possible. Kallen soon realized how predictable "The White Knight" really was. He only had five or six maneuvers, and if you could anticipate them, they were easily countered. Also, was it just Kallen's imagination, or was he moving erratically? The way he maneuvered and attacked, it seemed like Suzaku was piloting the Lancelot drunk. Before too long, Kallen had used the Radiant Surge to take both of the Lancelot's legs, as well as his rifle. Kallen could have killed Suzaku, and honestly wanted to, but she knew that Lelouch would want him alive. _Just be thankful for his mercy, Suzaku_ she thought as she left him for the enclosure. _I hope that I won't regret letting you live_.

Kallen came to see Cornelia trapped within an enclosure that the Black Knights had prepared beforehand. The plan had been to separate the Second Princess from her troops and force her to surrender. So far, the plan seemed to have been working; the only problem seemed to be that Cornelia refused to surrender. "One of you cowards come out here and fight me!" Cornelia yelled over the loudspeaker, firing off shots at random.

"If you're looking for a fight, why don't you try me on for size!" Kallen yelled over her loud speaker as she got into the enclosure to fight Cornelia. Cornelia was a good fighter, so it took Kallen a bit longer than she would've liked. After all, who knew when Britannian reinforcements would arrive. But soon enough, Cornelia's Gloucester met the same fate as Suzaku's Lancelot: Torn to pieces. Cornelia surrendered, and what remained of the Britannian forces retreated. Soon enough, the Black Knights were celebrating their victory once again. They had proven that they were not just a terrorist group; they were a rebel force to be reckoned with. And yet, Kallen had a little bit of uneasiness left in her. "What's wrong, Q-1?" Zero asked, taking notice of his ace's troubled look.

"Nothing, it's just…I'm worried about the collateral damage from the landslide."

"I was worried about that too. So, I did some calculations and engineered the landslide to stop before it hit the town."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. Check the news tomorrow when they talk about the landslide. _If_ they talk about it. They might not reveal it if they can't paint us as merciless killers who care nothing for civilians."

Kallen suddenly felt happier, and thus began to get more into the celebrations around them. Suddenly, Ohgi came up to them. "Boss, we may have a problem" he said.

"Oh? What may that be?"

"That girl you deployed…C.C, was it? … yeah, she got run over by one of the Knightmares and…"

"Oh. I see."

"You know, you seemed completely nonchalant about this. A woman just died!" Ohgi said angrily.

"I would be more sympathetic. Just one thing is stopping me."

"What?"

"She's behind you."

Ohgi and Kallen turned around and saw C.C approaching the party, her clothing torn and covered in mud, but otherwise alive and well. "You" she shouted at Zero, "owe me at least three giant pizzas!"

Zero laughed. "C.C, with the work you did today, I will buy you as many pizzas as you want tonight."

Kallen started laughing as well. _So this is what a_ real _victory feels like_ she thought, as she laughed harder than she had in a long time.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Well, that was a cute scene."

The Geass Master, who had been watching the victory celebrations, turned with a sense of annoyance back to see the Dimensional Supervisor approaching him. "Perhaps not as cute as the two dancing around their feelings, but cute nonetheless. When are the two going to figure out that they've both travelled back?"

"I don't know" the Geass Master responded, irritated that the question had come up. _Again_. "It should be soon, given who's about to step onto the stage. Honestly, can't you just sit back and watch it unfold?"

"I enjoy a good narrative unfold just as much as anyone. But I dislike how you meddle with the lives and others, and I question whether you should be here watching the lives of others when our lives remain in jeopardy due to the looming danger of Ragnarok."

"First of all, I don't meddle with the lives of others; I create…scenarios, which they then act out. Secondly, you are the _last_ being who should come after me about interfering with the lives of others. I still remember how involved you got with the whole W-0 incident. And finally, I _would_ destroy the Ragnarok machine, if the gods would let me!"

 _It's not that we wouldn't let you; the preventing force is the fates that won't let you destroy it. Or rather, they won't let destroy it_ now _. The fates have always been fickle, but they have been known to change on a whim. Much will probably rely on your little "scenario", but know that if Lelouch is unable to end Ragnarok, that responsibility will fall to someone else. It may be you, but it could fall to someone else, someone whom you'll have to guide like you guided Lelouch the last time._

"Guided?" said the Dimensional Supervisor said derisively. "He didn't guide Lelouch, he merely gave an occasional push while the boy, and others, suffered."

"It worked, didn't it?" the Geass Master responded. "And whatever I've done concerning Ragnarok, either now or earlier, is certainly a hell of a lot more than anything _you've_ done. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to see that the Ragnarok machine malfunctions _again_." And with that he left in a huff.

"For a man who can see the future, he remains curiously blind to it" the Dimensional Supervisor said.

 _It's obvious why. The man lives to be excited, to be thrilled. That is why he has always been…protective of his scenarios, his narratives. Still, there are some things that Geass Master could never see. The consequences of his actions, and the actions of his characters are yet to be decided. And there are elements that will come into play that not even one who possess Absolute Foresight will to foresee._

* * *

a/n: And here end's another (hopefully) entertaining chapter

a/n 2: Seriously though, can people please stop asking me about Kallen and Lulu? I promise you, it will happen _very_ soon, but like everything else, please be patient.

Comments? Questions? Insidious Remarks? Think I'm lollygagging too much? Leave a Review!

Till the next chapter everyone!

-TWA


	8. Chapter 7: The Art of Honesty

Wow, this chapter took way longer than I expected. Alright, just a few things before we get started...

A/N: I own nothing (as always)

A/N 2: Here's a life lesson I learned in the past few weeks: Just because you have free time, doesn't mean you'll be productive. I had intended to have this story out before the school year began, but I slacked off and the school year's here. This story won't be going away, but (as always) I ask that you please be patient with me.

A/N 3: The working title for this chapter was "After the Quake"

A/N 4: Does anyone know a good reliable source for Code Geass News? I've been using r/codegeass, but it's rarely been helpful.

A/N 5: Should I add cover art for this story? I feel like I should, but I'm no artist and none of the artwork, official or otherwise, seems to fit. (Side note: Don't look up Code Geass on DeviantArt. As a matter of fact, don't go on DeviantArt)

Alright, enough of my whinging (Shout out to the Hound for teaching me that word). On with the story!

* * *

 **Chapter 7: The Art of Honesty**

 _ **Knowledge is a deadly friend, if no one sets the rules**_ **– King Crimson**

Guilford was positive that he had never seen a disaster on this scale before. Operation Erebor had been meant to be a victory of enormous proportions; if they had taken out the JLF, they would've dealt a big blow in terms of support and morale to the terrorist cells around the country. Instead, it had been an utter catastrophe: They had lost the majority of Knightmares, either to that landslide or to the red Guren. In addition, a large majority of the pilots who had survived the battle had yet to recover from the … _unnatural_ attacks that perpetrated by the green-haired lady who had been running around the battlefield. Guilford shuddered as he thought about his encounter with the Code-R escapee. One minute, he was attempting to capture her; the next, he was reliving the car crash that had killed his brother and nearly killed him. And his encounter had been brief, only a matter of seconds; some of the soldiers had been exposed to her for up to two minutes. The battle had revealed three things: that Zero had powerful weapons at his disposal, that he knew how to use them, and that he wasn't afraid to employ them. And this was the man who had his liege captive. That alone was going to cost Guilford many nights of sleep. The masked terrorist had yet to make any demands, and he hadn't killed the Second Princess yet, so it was unclear what his intentions were. But the possibilities were frightening, at best. In any event, Guilford knew that he shouldn't dwell on that; true madness awaited him if he did. The only thing he could do was what Cornelia had instructed him to do in case something had happened to her: protect Princess Euphemia at all costs. These were going to be difficult times for the Princess, and Guilford knew she would need all the help she could get.

Unfortunately, it didn't seem that Euphie wasn't getting help from anyone else, if her face from the current phone call was any indication. "Alright, call me back later, when you get something concrete" she said into the phone, before slamming the phone into the receiver.

"Another nobleman trying to take advantage of your sister's absence?"

"No. That was the team I had sent to search for Code-R". Seeing Guilford's look of confusion, Euphemia explained "When I got the reports that the Code-R test subject was on the battlefield, I sent a team to scour Narita to see if they could find the project itself."

"And there was no sign of the it?"

"Worse. Turns out that the project _was_ in Narita, but they cleared out as soon as they got wind that a battle was happening in the vicinity. According to the man on the phone, we missed them by a couple of hours, and we have no way of tracking them."

Guilford cringed. As if they didn't have enough bad news to deal with as it was! It also made what he had to bring up even more of a nuisance to the princess, but the matter was imminent. "Your highness, I know that you may not want to hear this right now, but we need to talk about appointing you a knight –"

"You're right Guilford, I don't want to hear about it. I have several different things I need to worry about, and looking through a binder of noble bluebloods is not one of them."

"Your highness, I know that this may not seem like the best time, but it's a matter of –"

Guilford was interrupted by the ringing of a phone, which Euphemia eagerly grabbed in order to get out of the conversation. "Yes?" she asked apprehensively. "Alright, thank you." She then hung up the phone with a sigh of relief. "Finally, some good news."

"Really? What would that be, your Grace?"

"Suzaku, the Lancelot pilot, has recovered and is awake."

"And this is important because…."

"He might be the key to finding Lelouch and Nunnally."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Just what the hell were you thinking solider!"

Everyone in the room winced at the harsh tone that accompanied those words directed at Suzaku. It was clear that everyone in the room, even to the socially inept Lloyd, that Major Darlton was pissed. "You managed to wreck a hundred million pound project, and put yourself and your fellow soldiers at risk! You have to be the worst soldier I have ever seen!"

"I-I'm sorry sir" Suzaku stuttered.

"Sir, with all due respect, could you please go easy on him?" Cecile pleaded. "He's had a rough battle, and I'm not wholly sure that he's recovered." That was a genuine concern; Suzaku had woken up distracted and confused, unsure of where he was and how he got there.

"Well, he's deserved it!" was the barking response. "That was a completely bone-headed move, going out like that! What would have prompted you to go out like that?"

"That may have been my fault."

The room stood to attention as Princess Euphemia walked into the room. "Your highness!"

"I had ordered all troops to enter the battlefield following the landslide."

"That's what it was, your Grace" Cecile said, eager to give Suzaku a chance to escape further punishment. "At the time, he seemed like he was doing better, so we had no problem sending him out."

"And how did he perform?"

"He managed to take out two enemy Knightmares before engaging the Red Claw."

"Red Claw…?"

"It's what we're calling the Red Knightmare that took out so many of our troops your highness, on account of its color and claw like attachment."

"I see" Euphemia responded. She then turned towards Lloyd. "Lord Asplund, what damage did the Lancelot receive?"

"Well, the legs were completely torn off, so that's the biggest problem. A number of the navigation systems are out of sync, so we need to fix them as well. And finally, Warrant Officer Kururugi threw up all over the cockpit, which doesn't affect the operation at all, but is still quite a mess."

"Right then. In that case, the punishment for disobeying Major Darlton's orders will be cleaning out the cockpit. Is this agreeable to everyone?"

Everyone in the room nodded in agreement, except for Darlton. "Your Highness-"

"Darlton" Euphie said quietly, "I know that you're anxious about my sister, but could you please try not to take it out on the soldiers?"

"Yes, maam" Darlton replied, having been suitably chastised.

"Right then, I need a word with Suzaku. _Alone_."

These words were met with looks of confusion, but no one questioned the princess's orders. Soon, the doctors, soldiers, and scientists had filed out of the room and the two were alone. As soon as the last person walked out, and the door closed behind them, the princess dropped all decorum and ran into a hug with the Lancelot pilot. "Oh, thank goodness you're going to be fine."

"U-Euphie…" Suzaku manage stutter out, his eyes filled with shock and tears.

"Just promise me something? Promise me you won't try to throw away your life like that again. You're one of the few truly decent people I know."

"O-Okay."

"Great. Now on to something more serious" Euphemia said, as she pulled away from the hug. "I know that you're the son of the last prime minister, which means you may be one of the few people who could answer this." She closed her eyes as she took a deep breath, and reopened them filled with a determination most people associated with her sister. "Do you know what happened to Lelouch and Nunnally? Do you know what happened to my siblings?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Nighttime in the park was not the same as night in other places. There was lighting throughout, so the sounds of crickets chirping and owls cooing did not sound threatening. Yet the lights weren't too bright, so you could look up into the night sky and see the stars. Not many people walked through this park during the night: Elevens weren't allowed in the settlement outdoors after nightfall, and no criminal would to try anything against any Britannians walking about out of fear of the police. It was the perfect place to take a walk and find a rare piece of serenity. This is where two Britannian students were walking, having just come out of a concert held by the local orchestra.

"Well, that was a lovely performance." Lelouch said, and he meant it. It was rare for him to get these breaks from his various lives, and he had learned to relish them.

"It certainly was" Shirley said, walking along side. She seemed happy, but something seemed to be nagging her. Something was on the edge of her tongue, but she couldn't bring herself to say the words.

"So," Lelouch began, sensing that the potential conversations had been exhausted, "which train do you are you going on? I know which line I need for Ashford, but I don't know going back since your dad's in town-"

"Lelouch, there's something I need to tell you" Shirley said, finally working up the courage to tell her long suppressed feelings. Lelouch turned around, already expecting what was coming.

"At first, I didn't like you. You seemed to have this bored expression that made it look like you didn't care about anything. But then, I saw you help out an old couple with a car accident, doing everything with the same bored expression. It made me curious; it made me want to know more about you. And the more I learned, the more I fell in love with you." Shirley's face was now completely red. She moved to embrace Lelouch, but found herself held at arm's width by the raven-haired teen.

"Shirley, I guessed your feelings a while back. I knew that you had a crush on me, but I didn't expect the infatuation to go this deep. I…I would urge you to forget about me. Much about what you probably think about me is false. You're an amazing friend, and you deserve the best. You deserve someone much better than me. And besides," Lelouch said as his red-haired ace flinted across his mind, "my heart belongs to someone else."

There was a moment of silence between the two of them, each mulling over the others words. Finally, Shirley spoke in a cracked voice, her eyes barely blinking back the flood, "You know, a part of me knew that this would happen. Yet I kept hoping that my biggest desire would come true… Promise me one thing, Lulu? Promise me that this girl, whoever she is, promise me that you'll make her the happiest girl in the world?"

"Of course."

And with that, Shirley turned and ran off in the night, the tears now flowing freely. Lelouch looked blankly into the distance, wondering if he should go after the orangette, if there was something he could do to console her. Just then, his phone went off. Seeing that his phone didn't recognize the number, he answered in a cordial tone. "Hello?"

"Well really, _Lulu_ , did you need to break the poor girl's heart that hard?"

Lelouch felt a chill run through him as he recognized the maniacal voice on the other end. "Mao, where –"

"Not here, my dear time traveler. Meet me at the bench on Asheby Lane; I'll be waiting for you." And with that, the line clicked and only a dial tone was heard.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Lelouch approached the mind reader with a sense of apprehension and caution, going over what he knew about Mao. The man had been C.C's last contractor before him, and had been abandoned when he had begun to go insane. Lelouch had fought him three times, and they had been some of the trickiest fights he had ever had. So, he knew that he had to be careful, since-

"Ugh, could you get to the part where you actually strategize?" Mao asked as Lelouch sat down on the opposite side of the bench. "As much as you flatter me, I'd rather not listen to your retelling of my biography"

 _Okay, straight to business then_ , Lelouch thought. _He's clearly not here to kill me, he wouldn't have announced himself. Of course, he's insane, so maybe he would. Besides, he's not that good at-_

"Hey! Don't go underestimating my stealth skills! I managed spy you and your sister for the past couple of weeks, didn't I? By the way, you were totally right, that ninja-maid of yours is totally training her."

 _I knew it! Wait, you were near Nunnally! Wait, I can't get off topic. Alright, you clearly want something, don't you?_

"Yes, but you'll probably won't be able to guess it."

 _Of course I can, you're too easy to read. It has something to do with C.C, it always has to do with C.C when it comes to you._

"Well, you're not wrong, but it's not the in the way you're thinking. You see, I want to join the Black Knights."

Lelouch could only stare blankly. Of all the possible scenarios that could have arisen, this is one he never thought could have happened. What could've driven –

"Before you go any further, a friendly piece of advice: stop thinking that something will _never_ happen. You of all people should know that when you think that, it winds up happening and it screws you up tremendously. You don't often fail; but when you do, it's _spectacular_. As to your main query, there are a few reasons why I would like to join up with the Knights. First, it's clear that C.C has a special connection with, or will if your memories are anything to go by. And since your heart and loins are set on the redhead in the Guren, you're not really a rival for her affections. Second, you clearly know how to beat me. One time was you being lucky, but the other two were really good strategies, well thought out. Believe it or not, I have a sense of self-preservation; I'd like to avoid being killed again. And finally, well you look like you have an exciting future ahead of you. The first time I met you, all you had done was kill your brother, made a speech on a boat, and caused a landslide. Nothing too exciting. But now? You've conquered the world, stopped apocalypse plots, and generally had a very exciting life. Point is, I want in. You are extremely entertaining, and I want to be a part of it all.'

"Well that explains your reasons. Now explain this: why should I _let_ you join the Black Knights?"

"Well, let's go through the reasons, the ones I'm pulling from _your_ head. First, you know I could be a problem, so keeping me close would help limit that. Second, I could be an _enormous_ asset, if you keep me under control. Ooh! I could be head of intelligence and interrogation!"

"Fine! Is there anything else you need, you wack-job?"

"Ooh, watch the language!" Mao said with a chuckle. "If you keep that up, I won't tell you about the other time traveler! No, not your sister, the _other_ other one."

"What? WHO?" Lelouch blurted out, the annoyance quickly slipping away. It hadn't occurred to him that there was another time traveler –

"Oh, that is obvious. Honestly, does anything that's not related to your grand strategy come across your mind until it actually happens? Well in any case, I won't divulge that secret; I want to see how long it takes you to find them. I'll give you a hint: They're closer than you think. And with that, I'm off! See around Zero! Looking forward to working with you! Give C. C my love!"

As Mao exited into the night, Lelouch could only think one thing:

 _Good lord was that asshole annoying_.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Where is my brother?" Nunnally wondered aloud, as she folded another origami crane.

"He really could be anywhere" C.C responded, who sat across the table, engaged in the same activity. "The man runs an underground resistance group, he could be doing something clandestine to undermine Britannia."

"I doubt that; if was something to do with the Black Knights, he would have told me about it."

C.C laughed. "You think that. But truthfully? He could very well be out there right now, enacting plans he knows you won't like. The whole 'date' thing could be a giant ruse, to distract you from whatever he planned to actually do."

Nunnally frowned. "Maybe, but that wouldn't explain the phone call from Milly." A couple of minutes ago, she had gotten a call from Milly, who had gotten a call from Ms. Fennette, who said Shirley had returned from her date in a puddle of tears and locked herself to cry her eyes out. So, clearly Lelouch had been on that date. However, there were still a ton of questions. Unfortunately, Lelouch wasn't answering phone. _And that demonstrates the crux of the problem_ Nunnally thought. Lelouch had never been good at communication, or at least at open communication. Nunnally knew that Lelouch could (and probably was) hiding as much about the Black Knights as he wanted to. She knew that it was to protect her, but it was frustrating all the same. Nunnally knew that there had to be more that she could do; it was convincing Lelouch to let her do it that was going to be difficult.

Just then, Lelouch himself walked through the door, with the look on his face suggesting that he was in deep thought. "Evening, Lelouch" C. C said as he moved to his word without a word.

"Oh, evening" Lelouch responded. His voice suggested that he had not realized that the two girls were in the room. "How's your night been?"

"It's been alright. How was your date?"

"It was alright."

"Don't give me that" Nunnally said, annoyed that her brother was attempting to hide yet another thing from her. "Shirley's mother called Milly, who called me. According to them, Shirley's in her room, crying a river."

"Okay" Lelouch said, before sitting down at the table with a sigh. "Shirley confessed, and I rejected her."

"Well, that makes sense" C.C said. "The only mystery remaining is why you are so morose about it. You don't strike me as the kind of man who would be bothered by such a thing."

"He isn't" Nunnally said, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. And that was definitely true. If Lelouch had really cared that much about Shirley's feelings, he would've addressed them long ago. And Nunnally knew that he had done more heinous acts than break someone's heart without any bother. Whatever was bothering her brother, this wasn't it. "So, what's _really_ on your mind, big brother?"

Lelouch sighed. Clearly, he hadn't intended discuss this matter, but now he had no choice. "I ran into a familiar face from the previous timeline" he said, looking towards C.C. "Your…former contractor."

"WHAT!" C.C yelped, her hands slamming on the table as she shot up from her seat. "Where is he? What did he want?"

"I don't know where he is" Lelouch admitted, holding his hand up in an effort to signal C.C to calm down. "But he had an unusual request. He…he asked to join the Black Knights."

"And…"

"He's now a member of the Black Knights."

C.C began to laugh nervously, as if this was still one big joke. "You seem like a very smart boy, Lelouch, so I'm wondering why you would make such a bone-headed- "

"This is not a mistake; it's a calculated risk. I am well aware of the danger that Mao could be. However, I know that he could potentially be a huge asset if he is kept in check. And a large amount of that is going to come down to _you_ C.C. You know him better than anyone else, and it should be more than easy for you to turn him into an asset."

C.C looked thunderous; however, she was unable to come up with a reasonable retort to Lelouch's argument. "Fine" she said crossly. "But don't be surprised if my pizza bill spikes suddenly." And with that, she stormed off to Lelouch's room.

"So, who were you guys talking about?" Nunnally asked.

"The guy we were talking about was C.C's former contractor, a guy named Mao. You met briefly in the previous timeline, when he …he kidnapped you."

Nunnally could vaguely remember who Lelouch was talking about. She couldn't see at the time, but she did remember being tied up down in the utility corridor downstairs. And she remembered a voice; a high-pitched voice that was equal parts cruelty and madness. If this was the man that her brother was talking about, he seemed to be an odd choice for recruitment. Lelouch had little patience for the nonsensical, and he tended not to forgive anyone who came after her. "What makes Mao good for being in the Black Knights? He seems like the kind of person you tend to avoid."

"There are two reasons why I allowed Mao entry into the Black Knights, and they both stem his Geass. He can read the minds of everyone within a 500-meter range. This could be a very useful weapon for us, but it also could be dangerous if it were to be used against us. Those are the reasons that I've brought him into the Black Knights."

"Okay" Nunnally said. "So why is C.C so worried about him?"

"After a certain point, a contractor loses control of their Geass; they can no longer turn it off. Because of this, Mao hears _everyone's_ thoughts. It drove him to insane. A code-bearer can't be affected by a Geass, so C.C is an oasis of calm in a sea of cacophonic thoughts. As a result, Mao is obsessed with her. He is also in love with her, so he is unable to take her code. Thus, C.C abandoned him, and has taken lengths to avoid him ever since."

"Hence, her reaction."

"Exactly"

"Wait" Nunnally said, picking up on something that Lelouch had said. "You said that at a certain point, a contractor loses control of their Geass? Did that happen to you?"

"…Yeah"

"Really? When? How long do we have? What happened?"

"Slow down, Nunnally! One question at a time. Yes, I did lose control; it will happen in a few weeks or so. I've been more careful with my powers this time around, but it's still coming. But we can't worry about that right now, there is a bigger issue to worry about."

"What? You really expect that you can blow off something like 'I'm going to lose control of my mystical eye jutsu' off?"

"I'm not blowing it off, I'm dealing with it later. Me losing control of my Geass is something I've been planning for; this is something I wasn't." Lelouch sighed. He had wanted not to tell Nunnally about this till later, but now seemed like the proper time; if only so it would get her mind of the eventuality of Geass becoming permeant. "Mao revealed something to me during our conversation. He revealed… that we are not alone."

Nunnally looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean…we may be the only time travelers here."

Nunnally's eyes widened in shock. "But…t-that's-"

"Impossible? I thought so too. But it makes sense. There has been a lot going on around us, a lot has changed. We may have assumed that any and all changes that we didn't cause were a result of the butterfly effect, but what if that isn't the case? This is something that we have to investigate."

"But you got this information from Mao. Didn't you just say that he's insane?"

"Mao is many things, but a liar is not one of them. His powers allow him to use truths to devastating effect, so he's not one to use lies often. Plus, the two of us were sent back in time as well; why wouldn't there be a third?"

Nunnally accepted her brother's words. After all, if her brother was trusting this intel, she could too. "So, do we know anything about this time traveler?"

"Basically nothing. All Mao would tell me was that they exist and they're 'close', whatever that means."

Nunnally sighed and began to move her wheelchair towards her room, with Lelouch getting up to help her get into bed. "I take it that this new time-traveler has become a priority for the two of us?" she asked, secretly delighted that she now had a secret that was just between her and Lelouch.

"Yes" Lelouch responded. "A time traveler could be invaluable to us if they're on our side; but they could be devastating if they're on the side of our enemies. In the meantime, I'm going to recruit some allies that we don't have to constantly worry about."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jeremiah Guttwold was sitting in a bar, with the intention to induce amnesia via alcohol. The past few months had been some of the worst of his life since the death of Lady Marianne and her two children. For a short while, he had been the luckiest person in the world: he had unchecked power as the head of the Purist Faction and acting Viceroy, with a very real possibility of becoming a full Viceroy. Then Zero had appeared and somehow had tricked him into handing over Private Kururugi. Since then, everything had been downhill from there. He had been investigated for treason, demoted three ranks, and lost the respect of most of his fellow Purists. Whatever hopes he had of redeeming himself through the capture of Zero were dashed at Narita, when he had led an unsuccessful and unauthorized offensive in the hope of capturing the masked terrorist. The attack failed miserably, with the "Red Claw" wiping out half of his troops before it went to defeat the Lancelot and the Viceroy. Now, his two closest friends, Villetta and Kewel, were dead, and the purist faction was in shambles. This is what he told to a very patient lady who had sat next to him at the bar, eyeing him with interest. At the end of his tale, the woman smiled and asked him if he wanted to leave with her so that she could "help him move past his grief". Jeremiah acquiesced, and they left. However, he had only walked into an alley before he was punched in the stomach and bound with a rope. As Jeremiah struggled, he heard a familiar, metallic voice speak with a chuckle. "My, my, how the mighty have fallen" Zero said, as he stepped out of the shadows.

Jeremiah's eyes widened in shock and rage. "You!" he snarled, as he tried to charge at Zero. Unfortunately, he was prevented by the ropes and the lady who had captured him.

"Don't be too rough with him Sayoko" Zero said to the disguised ninja. "I don't want our new alliance to start off on the wrong foot."

"Alliance? Why would I want to work with someone with you?" Jeremiah spat out angrily. "I am a loyal servant to Britannia, always have been, always will be!"

"Your loyalty has _always_ been to Britannia?" Zero responded. "That's a lie if I've ever heard one. I know that your loyalty used to belong to a woman, the late Empress Marianne. I know that you failed to protect her that night in Aries Villa, and you've been trying to redeem yourself in the eyes of the Empire ever since."

"If you know this" Jeremiah said, struggling to hide his shock, "then why did you take away from me the one chance I had of doing so?"

"It was never intentional; events simply dictated how I would enact my plan. However, I will offer you another chance at redemption; not in the eyes of the empire, but in mine." Zero then removed his mask, to reveal a teenage boy with black hair and violet eyes. "Do you recognize me?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kallen sat in the hideout of Black Knights, pretending to read a book while trying to figure out her next move. So far everything had been working in her favor. Narita had been a success, and the Black Knights were now in a better position than ever. Yet Kallen knew she had to be careful now. With their successes, the Black Knights posed a bigger threat to the Empire, which could only lead to a greater reaction. Kallen knew she didn't have the strategic skills of Lelouch or his siblings, but she did have something that they didn't: knowledge of the future. However, there still obstacles to using it. She had to figure out how to convince Lelouch to trust her without giving away that she knew his secret identity (or rather his secret _identities_ ). She also had to figure a way to act on her knowledge of the future without exposing her position as a time traveler. And most importantly, Kallen had to figure out how to do both without setting off the pesky butterfly effect. As much as things were better in this timeline, there were still a lot of things different in this timeline, and the changes wouldn't stop there. And only complicating the matter was the nature of the butterfly effect, which made impossible to predict what would change and how. Kallen wasn't sure if she could take on every challenge that it would throw her way, but she knew that she would have to for the sake of herself, Lelouch, and everyone else.

"Here Zero, this came for you" Kallen heard Ohgi say, which pulled her out of her train into the conversation around her.

"Oh? What's this?"

"A love letter."

"Really? Well that's sweet, but I'm afraid that you're not my type."

The room burst into laughter, ranging from the small chuckles of Kallen and Minami to the busting laugh of Tamaki.

"And they say you have no sense of humor!" Tamaki said, in between gusts of laughter.

"You laugh to much" Kallen said. At least one thing that could be trusted during with all this change was that Tamaki would have an annoyingly big mouth.

"No, the letter's not from me" Ohgi said with a grin. "It's from the Kyoto group. They have requested a meeting! If we get their support, we'll really be in the big leagues!"

"Really?" Zero responded inquisitively. "I'd say that we're already in the big leagues, given that we've managed to capture a viceroy."

"True, but if we join up with Kyoto, we could solve our money problems."

"Money problems?" Zero asked. "There shouldn't be any money problems if you were following the budget I laid out."

"Well…" Ohgi said with a cringe, as he looked around the room nervously.

"Hey don't look at me!" Tamaki said defensively. "We're getting a lot of recruits. Expenses have gone up!"

"Tell me" Kallen said, putting down her book and glaring at Tamaki. "What type of expenses would you classify your expensive dinners with the new members as? Recruitment or miscellaneous?"

"That's enough" Zero said firmly. "I'll meet with Kyoto and see if we can't get their support. In the meantime, Ohgi will take over all financial matters."

"What! That's bullshit!" Tamaki burst out. "Why should we listen to you? Why should we listen to some masked asshole who won't show his own face!"

"Oh do us all a favor and shut up for once in your life!" Kallen shouted, standing up in rage. "Zero has done more than any revolutionary leader who has come before him! He's given us victory and prestige, isn't that enough?" Kallen grew angrier, as memories of the Black Knight's betrayal came back into her mind. "It doesn't matter who he is, or what he's done! He's our leader, and we have to trust in him no matter what!"

"Kallen" Zero said with a mollifying voice. "Thank you for the kind words, but that's really unnecessary given the circumstances. As for you Tamaki, if you want to prove that you're capable of handling our finances, then I suggest that you treat all the Black Knights to dinner with your own money. And I do mean _all_ of them."

As the surrounding Black Knights began to suggest expensive restaurants that the increasingly flustered Tamaki could treat them to, Kallen returned to her book and tried to suppress the terrible night in the hangar that had come back to her memory.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lelouch was sitting in his office, pondering over two problems in equal turns. The first was his upcoming meeting with the Kyoto group. He was certain that Kirihara would be the contact again, but he needed a way to be certain. C.C had did well last time, but Lelouch was worried about leaving Mao alone for longer than necessary. Mao was another option, but Lelouch wanted to be certain that this was the best option. The other problem that was troubling him was that of the other time traveler. Mao had said that they were closer, closer than he would suspect, but who was that? Who had been acting suspiciously lately? Who had been acting like they had prior knowledge events? Who-

A knock on the door interrupted his trains of thought. "Who is it?" Lelouch called out.

"It's me, Ohgi."

"Come in" Lelouch said as he put on his mask.

The door opened and Ohgi entered. Closing the door behind him, the deputy of the Black Knights took a seat across from his leader. "What are your plans for Kyoto?" Ohgi asked.

"I'll meet with them, and try to convince them that I am sincerely an enemy of Britannia. If all goes well, we'll have new allies to assist us on our quest. It's what might happen if the meeting goes poorly that I'm trying to plan for."

"Do you think you'll be able to convince them that you're an enemy of Britannia, Mr. Lamprouge?"

A silence enveloped the room, as Lelouch sat in shock. Finally, he removed his mask and asked "How did-"

"How did I figure out your identity? It was back when we met at the hospital that I began to have my suspicions. Here we had a Britannian student, who was fluent in Japanese and referred to the Japanese as 'Japanese'. This alone you made you an oddity. Kallen had let slip that she knew of your identity, so that only deepened my suspicion. But what convinced me was your voice; despite the voice changer, your voice still sounds similar, regardless of whatever language you're talking in. And there are the inflections in your voice that reinforce that similarity."

Lelouch smiled. "Well Ohgi, you certainly thought this out. My congratulations on discerning my real identity."

"Which one? The one you use every day, or your true one as the supposedly dead 11th prince of Britannia?"

Lelouch's eyes widened in shock again. "How – "he began, before realizing how he had been found out. "It was my last name, wasn't it?" Ohgi nodded, and Lelouch sighed. "I should have known this might have happened."

"The former Empress is the first thing that appears when you google the name 'Lamprouge', a testament to how thoroughly you've kept yourself off the web these past 7 years."

"…So, have you've told anyone else in the Black Knights?"

"No. I wanted to talk to you about this first. Whether or not I tell anyone will depend on how you answer this question: Why are _you_ fighting Britannia? What are you getting out of this fight?"

Lelouch straightened up and adopted a look of determination and anger. "If you saw anything concerning my mother, I assume you saw what happened to my sister." Ohgi's nod confirmed that, so Lelouch continued "Shortly after the attack, I asked the Emperor why he hadn't bothered to visit his daughter in the hospital. You know what his response to that was? His response, and these are his exact words, were 'I have no use for that weakling'. That's the kind of man the Emperor is. He believes in 'survival of the fittest' that he won't bother to think of anyone that doesn't meet his standards, even his own children. You heard his speech during Clovis' funeral. The man spent barely anytime on his own son, and just talked about how 'all men are not created equal'. Because of those beliefs, he cares nothing for anyone who he considers weak, leaving a countless trail of victims in his wake. And those who don't go along with get tossed aside as well; that's why so many of the princes and princesses act in a similar matter. And because of this, the weak and powerless get trampled on with no regard. And this is what I'm fighting to change. I'm fighting for a world where no one is punished for being weak, that we're not segregated and divided based off who we are. That's what I'm getting out of this. Now the question I have for you is this: Are you still to fight with me so that I could create this world?"

"After a speech like that, of course. I'll also keep your identity a secret; I understand why you've kept it a secret"

"Thank you Ohgi. Any more questions?"

"Only one: Who is the green haired woman? What is she exactly?"

Lelouch smiled. "That one I won't answer now; I won't give up all my secrets in one night. I promise you though, I will give a proper explanation of what she is later on. I'll need her here so that it could be properly explained."

"Very well. I'll get the proper personnel ready for the Kyoto meeting." And with that, Ohgi left the room while Lelouch returned to pondering his problems, this time factoring in the new information.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The group met in the bombed out alleys of an abandoned town that once was known as Grinpa. The group had been named in the invitation of the so they had all expected to see each other. What came as a surprise was when Zero arrived pushing a veiled girl in a wheelchair. Seeing the confused faces in his fellow Black Knights, Zero said "Ladies and gentlemen, may I present K-2, who also goes by the name Kurohime."

"Really?" Tamaki said, in his usual big-mouthed way. "You expect us to believe that this Brit in a wheelchair is really K-2?"

Kurohime turned her head and faced Tamaki. "You must be P-2" she said with the clear voice they all recognized. "Nice to know that your voice matches your face."

While the others sniggered at Tamaki's expense, Ohgi approached Zero. "I'm surprised that you would bring someone …in this _condition_ to a meeting of this importance."

Zero sighed. "Believe me, if it were up to me, she wouldn't be here."

"If it were up to you, I would be in an underground bunker, oblivious to the world" Kurohime said, looking up at her brother. "The invitation requested that I'd be here, _in person_ , and it would be unwise to insult Kyoto with a non-presence during the first meeting. And if things go south…" she paused to gesture to the sleeves of her dress, which concealed a pair of kunai, "…I'll be prepared."

Suddenly, a tone went off on Zero's phone. He took it out his pocket, and looked at the message he had just received:

 _You were right, Kirihara is the Kyoto rep._

 _Let's see if you can convince him a second time!_

 _M_

 _P.S: If you want to get on his good side, recommend a good sushi joint, he's been craving some for a while. BTW, thanks for setting up the date with C.C. You've got to share your tips for convincing her!_

"Hey Zero!" He heard Kallen call out. "The car is here, should we get in?"

"Yeah" Zero said, looking up from his phone. "Let's go"

Soon enough, they had all been seated in the car, moving towards the hideout of the Kyoto group. As the windows were blacked out, the discussion amongst the Black Knights turned to speculation about where they were being taken. "I bet we're going to the old amusement park in Urayasu" said Minami excitedly.

"Don't be ridiculous" Tamaki said. "It's probably an old shrine, where _oni_ and ghosts reside."

"Calm down, you two" Ohgi said. "It's probably an underground bunker in the middle of nowhere."

However, Ohgi's words were proven false soon after as they felt the car stop and heard an elevator lift the car up. The doors unlocked and the Black Knights got out. Except for Zero, who had went to trunk to fetch Kurohime's wheelchair, all eyes were drawn to the large window, which gave a panoramic view of –

"Mt. Fuji! Holy crap, it's Mt. Fuji!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"The Fuji Mines! Wow, Kyoto's power extends this far!" Yoshida said, his voice also tinged with awe.

"It's beautiful" Kurohime said, moving her wheelchair so she could get a better view of the mystic mountain. She had heard of it from her brother and Suzaku, but nothing really compared to seeing it in person. Even with the mining equipment attached to its side, Mt. Fuji still stood tall and proud.

"It's disgusting" a new voice said from behind them. They turned to see a veiled figure behind a screen, speaking to them in a grizzled and bitter voice. "Mt. Fuji, a sacred mountain, once known for its clear water and quiet beauty, now bent to the will of the Empire; a place of hideous violation, a reflection of Japan has become."

Zero smiled under his mask, thankful that Mao hadn't lied to him. "I couldn't agree more…Taizo Kirihara."

The guards surrounding Kirihara swiftly pulled out their guns. "Anyone who can identify him must die! Especially those who are not Japanese!" one said, pointing his gun at the girl in the wheelchair.

"Enough!" Kirihara said. "Since you know my identity, it seems only fair that I know yours. Ohgi!"

"Yes?" Ohgi said.

"Take off Zero's mask!"

Ohgi moved towards Zero with apprehension, his hands timidly reaching out for the mask. Zero turned his head to his deputy commander and nodded, signaling his consent to take off the mask. Ohgi removed it to reveal a young Britannian male. Almost everyone in the room was shocked at the age and nationality of Britannia's most wanted; Kallen was equally as shocked, only at the fact that it was actually Lelouch under the mask and not C.C. Only the Kurohime and Ohgi remained unfazed. The guards began to aim the guns at Lelouch, but they faltered by the sound of their master's laughter.

"So, has the flower who has planted eight years ago finally blossomed?"

"It has Lord Kirihara" Lelouch said, bowing.

"I see. And the girl in the wheelchair back there –"

"Yes, that is who you think it is. However, her name is amongst this group is Kurohime."

"Yes. I'm surprised that you're having her involved in this conflict."

"My involvement was my choice, Kirihara-sama" Kurohime said, moving towards the veiled lord. "With the land being so hotly contested and injustices spreading rampantly, I could not sit by and do nothing. Zero, the Black Knights, and Japan need all the help they can get; and I intend to give all that I can give."

The old man chuckled. "I thought a flower was planted eight years ago, it now appears that two were planted. Ohgi! These two, Zero and Kurohime, are true enemies of Britannia and their identities must remain secret! I urge you to follow to follow these two; if you do, we will aid you generously with resources and intelligence."

" _Arigato-gozimasu_ , Kirihara-sama" Lelouch said, coming out of his bow. As he began walking back to the car, he heard Kirihara ask "Are you intending to walk down the trail of blood?" Lelouch glanced back to see the old man look at him intently. "Intend to?" Zero responded. "I'm already on it."

And with that, the Black Knights prepared to leave, the meeting being an unequivocal success.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kallen looked around the darkened park, anxiously looking for Lelouch. She had tried to get him alone after they had been dropped off, but he had refused. Instead, she had gotten a text from him, saying that they needed to meet at the park by the opera house. The clouds threatened to release a downpour at any minute, but Kallen had too many questions to care about the weather. She was thinking about how to pose her questions when she heard a familiar voice.

"Hey there Kallen" Lelouch said in what he hoped was a conversational tone.

"Don't 'Hey there Kallen' me Lelouch" Kallen said angrily. "What the hell is going on? Why are you revealing yourself to Ohgi and everyone else?"

"Interesting" Lelouch responded. "You don't seem to be the slightest concerned that I was Zero the entire time."

Kallen's eyes grew wide as the words registered. How had she messed up that much? And how was she going to explain –

"It's okay, Kallen" Lelouch said with a chuckle. "I know you time travelled."

Kallen could now feel heart her heart beating like a timpani. "H-How-"

"How did I figure it out? Well it started when Ohgi told me that you knew my identity. I knew that you didn't know who I was until later in the timeline, so that raised my suspicions. And the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. You're piloting much better than when you were the last time this was going on. You seem to be much better prepared for the operations that we've been going on. And you've been much more defensive of me than you were in the previous timeline."

Kallen felt weak, and found a bench to sit on while she caught her breath. As her breath steadied, the reason why Lelouch was talking so calmly dawned on her. "L-Lelouch, d-did you also-"

"Yes, I also time traveled as well" Lelouch said, taking a seat next to Kallen. "If you don't mind me asking, when did you wake up?"

"I-I woke up during the Shinjuku battle. You?"

"I woke up at the same time. How much time had passed before you were transported?"

"It had been a day after you…you-"

"Interesting. Nunnally told me something similar. I was transported back right after I was stabbed."

With those words, memories of the Zero Requiem flooded Kallen's mind. Without warning, she suddenly stood up and slapped Lelouch as hard she could. "HOW COULD YOU?" she yelled.

"K-Kallen, I have no idea how we were transported back –" Lelouch said nervously, silently thankful that no one was in the park to witness this outburst.

"I'm not talking about time travel! I'm talking about the Zero Requiem!"

Lelouch sighed. He knew he would have had to explain himself to Kallen, but hadn't planned to do it this soon. "Look, the Zero Requiem was meant to bring the world together. In order to do that, it needed a villain."

"And it just had to be you, didn't it?"

"Of course it did! Even if I could find someone with the status to become emperor, who would want the role of the Demon Emperor? Who would be willing to have their name go down in history as the ultimate villain? "

"Fine. But why didn't you take me with you?"

Lelouch sighed. "Whoever was getting involved with the Zero Requiem was going never going to 'survive'. C.C would've gone back into hiding. Suzaku had to take up the mantle of Zero, and stay behind for the rest of his life. I would've been dead. The reason I didn't include you in the plans for the Zero Requiem is the same reason I told you that you have to live back in in the hangar: You have a life of your own. You have your mother, you have-"

"YOU WERE MY LIFE!"

An atmosphere of silence developed between them, both processing the words the other had said. Finally, Kallen spoke up, ready to open her heart.

"Lelouch, at first I didn't know what to think of you. Despite you never actually applying yourself, everyone kept going on about how smart you were. So, I thought you were just a spoiled orphan coasting through life. Then I found out you were Zero, and I didn't know what to think. At first, I thought you were just using us for your own selfish gains. But then I thought about Nunnally, and I realized you were doing all of this for her sake. And I thought 'Wouldn't I being doing the same thing for Naoto? Wouldn't Naoto have done the same thing for me?' And as I thought about you and your motives in depth, pulling back the masks and deceptions, I… I fell in love with you."

Lelouch got up off the bench, facing Kallen. "You know Kallen, you may be one of the few people who truly gets me. You know what it's like to hide behind a mask, what it is to hide your true feelings from the rest of the world. I…I'm not sure how I'd get on without you. The month that you were in captivity with Britannia was some the toughest times of my life. But yet, I still pushed you away. Not just because I wanted to keep you alive. It's also because everyone I love seems to either die or get destroyed. I didn't want to happen to you."

"And yet" Kallen said, remembering her despair the night she time-travelled as she pulled Lelouch into a soft embrace, "you wound up hurting me anyways."

Lelouch felt his heart beat harder than it ever had. "I-I'm sorry."

"It's okay" Kallen said, looking up at him. "Ever since I realized my feelings for you and read your letter, I've been hurting. But there is only one thing that could make this hurt less." And then, unable to convey her deepest feelings, she kissed him briefly but passionately, before putting her head on his chest.

Lelouch, his face completely red and his heart racing, began to return Kallen's embrace. "Well, I did promise someone that I'd make the girl I love the happiest girl in the world. So if you're happy with someone like me-"

The rest of his words were cut off as Kallen kissed him again, this time with all the passion and love she could muster. Lelouch finally let himself go and returned the kiss, and the two were in complete bliss. Rain began to fall from the sky, but the two couldn't care less. To anyone who would've passed by, they appeared to be exactly what they were: A young couple happily in love.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So Nunnally traveled back as well? And there's a guy running around who can read minds?"

"Yes to both of them. I'm glad that they're both on our side this time around. For very different reasons, I'd hate to fight them again."

Kallen giggled at Lelouch's statement as they approached the Ashford clubhouse. They were both soaking wet from the rain, but that didn't bother them in the slightest. The two were happier than they could ever remember. Now, they were going to see Nunnally so that they could bring her up to speed. Soon enough, they were at Lelouch's apartment. As Lelouch opened the door, he called out "Hey Nunna-"

"Lelouch!" Nunnally said loudly as they entered. "We have company."

And indeed they did, Lelouch thought as he noted the group sitting around the table. Nunnally was sitting in her usual spot, wearing a mask of calm cheerfulness. Milly sat next her, her face filled with anxiety and worry. Suzaku sat across the table with a similar disposition, though much better hidden. And at the head of the table across from Lelouch, her pink hair undone, her disguise consisting of a matching cardigan and skirt accompanied by wire-rim glasses, sat –

"Hello Lelouch" said Euphemia li Britannia, Third Princess of Britannia and Royal Viceroy of Area 11, said. "It's been a while."

* * *

And...I think I'll leave it here for now.

Sorry about the long wait for this chapter, I hope it was worth it. I'll try to get the next one out in a more timely manner.

Comments? Insidious Remarks? Leave a review!

See you guys at the next chapter!


	9. Chapter 8: SorryHave a Cookie

And Welcome Back! Thankfully, this didn't take as long as chapters usually take (No one has PMed me asking me for the new chapter, which I think hasn't happened for a while). Before we get into it, a few things

A/N: I own nothing. I own nothing. I OWN NOTHING!

A/N 2: We now have some cover artwork! Hope it looks good, I'm no Photoshop expert.

A/N 3: We cleared some interesting milestones since last time! We've hit 60 reviews, surpassed 200 followers, as well as topped 100 favorites! I want to thank all of you for this, I can't tell you how much this means to me.

A/N 4: If you'll pardon some self promotion, I have a new story out! It's called _Gods and Demons_ , and it is the site's first and (at the time of me writing this) only Godzilla/Geass crossover story. Feel free to check it out (After you finish reading this chapter, of cours :) )

Alright, enough of this ridiculousness. On with the story!

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Sorry About Your Plans, Have a Cookie**

 _ **Fight every battle everywhere, always, in your mind. Everyone is your enemy, everyone is your friend. Every possible series of events is happening all at once. Live that way and nothing will surprise you. Everything will be something that you've seen before.**_ **– Lord Petyr Baelish (Littlefinger)**

"Euphie" Lelouch said. "It's wonderful to see you again"

His face gave the appearance of cheerful calmness, but his mind was actually in a state of semi-panic. _Crap, Crap, CRAP! How did she find us? Is she going to take us back to Britannia? No, I would've been seized by now. I can't panic now, I have to focus_. Lelouch's focus was brought back to the conversation by Euphie, who said "And who's your friend behind you?"

"This is Kallen Stattenfield" Lelouch said, motioning to Kallen behind him. "My girlfriend"

Kallen, still adjusting to their new relationship, silently blushed. Meanwhile, the rest of the room exchanged shocked looks, none of them expecting that Lelouch would actually date anyone. Nunnally broke the silence first by asking "When did you start –"

"Dating?" Lelouch said as he took a seat, "About a few weeks ago. We wanted to sort things out between us before we told you. And I was just planning to do so, but I walked into this impromptu reunion. So, Euphie, how did you find us after all?"

Euphie sighed, seeing that this couldn't be put off. "Before I get into it, do you think that –"

"Kallen can stay here. I can vouchsafe for her discretion."

"He's right" Kallen said nervously, taking a seat, "I won't tell anyone about what's said here."

"Well then," Euphie began, "It wasn't easy. Your fake trails led Clovis on a right royal goose chase, and I had a tough time as well. But then I remembered something: That there was still someone who had been with you during the invasion, someone who was currently in the Britannian military." She motioned to Suzaku, who shifted in his seat with an uncomfortable look on his face. "He didn't want to tell me at first" Euphemia continued, "but I managed to convince him that I had your best interests in my mind and my heart."

"Are you sure about that? Because in coming here, you may have led others here as well, putting Nunnally and myself in danger." Lelouch countered.

"Believe me, I'm more than aware of the dangers about the forces that … your _friend_ has repeatedly warned me about. I know that I could lead your mother's killers to you and Nunnally. That's why I took precautions before I came here. Nobody knows that I'm here; my official itinerary has me across town in a secret military debriefing across town. I'm here as Lilian Lamprouge, who's here to tour the school and see her cousins. Secondly, just because I'm not whisking you back to the capital doesn't mean that I'm leaving you unprotected. You see, our father just sent me a gift meant to help me with the current situation here in Area 11. And it will be just the thing to keep the two of you safe."

Having said that, Euphemia rose from the table, with Suzaku following suit. "Unfortunately, I don't have any more time to stay here" Euphie said as she walked over to Lelouch. Before Lelouch could protest, she pulled him into a hug. "I know your worried" she said, "but I promise that your secret will stay safe with me. This won't be the last conversation between the two of us." And with that, the princess and the soldier left.

Milly got up to leave as well. "I'm sorry Lelouch" she said apologetically, "I had no idea that this was coming."

"It's okay, Milly. I certainly don't blame you for this" Lelouch replied. "Do you happen to know what Euphemia was talking about in regards to the 'protection' that she's providing?"

"No idea" Milly said, downcast. "It was all happened with my grandfather, and he was sworn to secrecy. All I know is that whatever it is, it starts tomorrow."

"Thank you, Milly."

"No problem, Lulu. Now I'll call it a night, so Kallen can explain to Nunna why she's stealing her big brother."

"Milly!" the three time travelers said with tones that ranged from annoyed to embarrassed.

"See you all tomorrow!" Milly said with a devilish wink as she left the room.

"So, what exactly is going on here?" Nunnally said, as she turned towards her brother.

"Nunnally, meet the third time-traveler" Lelouch said, gesturing towards Kallen.

"Really?" Nunnally said, her eyes widening with astonishment.

"Yes, I did travel back" Kallen said, bearing a grin.

"So, the whole dating thing was a ruse to distract Euphie or –"

"No, no, Kallen and I are actually dating" Lelouch said quickly.

"Huh" Nunnally replied, surprised that Lelouch's statement had actually been true. "You'll have to tell me everything. When did it start?"

And so the three of them talked through the night, catching each other up and planning for the days ahead. Little did they know that a wrench would be thrown into those plans the next day.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Good morning everyone. Before we begin today's lesson, I would like to introduce two new transfer students: Gino Weinberg and Anya Alstream. They will be attending our school as of today."

"Hey everybody! I'm Gino, nice to meet you!"

"Anya. Recording."

As soon as the two had introduced, the class began whispering amongst itself.

"Did she say Gino Weinberg?"

"Gino Weinberg? As in the Knight of Three?"

"Isn't the short girl a Knight of the Round too?"

"Yeah, she's the Knight of Six!"

As the mutterings about the new students intensified throughout the class, Lelouch sat in his desk mulling over the events. _This certainly changes things_ he thought. And it did. Lelouch hadn't expected his father to send in two of his Personal Knights, especially this early in the rebellion. Perhaps it had to do with Cornelia's capture, but that seemed unlikely as he hadn't been bothered after Lelouch had killed two royals. Lelouch toyed with these ideas through the day, until the bell rang and he got up to leave the room and enjoy his free period. As he did, Lelouch saw Suzaku come over, with a slightly worried look on his face. "Hey Lelouch," Suzaku said, reaching his friend, "I just wanted to say, about last night –"

"Yeah, about last night: What the hell?" Lelouch replied in an angry yet quiet voice, as to not attract attention.

"Look, I told her your whereabouts because it would keep everyone safe."

"Really? How do you think that's been working out so far? Because I'm pretty sure that two Knights of the Round hanging around the school doesn't exactly make any of us safe."

"Look, they came after everything happened with your mother and they probably believe that you and Nunnally are dead. So, you have nothing to fear from them, unless you have _other_ secrets lying around."

Before Lelouch could respond to that, he felt an arm work its way around his and pull him close. Glancing over, he saw that it was Kallen, with a sly grin on her face. "Sorry to interrupt Suzaku, but I was hoping to have a little time with my boyfriend. You don't mind if I steal him away for a bit?"

"N-Not at all" a surprised Suzaku stuttered; and with that, Kallen led Lelouch into the school grounds.

"So, what was Suzaku talking about?" Kallen asked as they sat down on a bench.

"Nothing much, he was trying to apologize about last night" Lelouch replied.

"Oh did he know? The nerve of that guy…" Kallen said angrily, glaring towards the area that they just came from.

"Don't worry about it Kallen" Lelouch said placatingly. "If anything, I invited something like this." Seeing Kallen's confused look, he continued. "Back at Saitama, I told Cornelia that Nunnally and I were still alive. Given Euphie's affection for the two of us, the resources at her disposal, and her close relationship with Suzaku, it's not surprising that she found us. Hell, Euphie found the two of us the last time as well, it just took her longer to do so."

"Fine" Kallen sighed, accepting Lelouch's logic. "So, what are we going to do about the two Knights that have joined us?"

"Oh, they're joining the student council."

"WHAT?" Kallen exclaimed, earning her a few stares. "Sorry about that" she said quieter, her face showing slight signs of embarrassment. "It's just….how and why?"

"Milly couldn't resist having two such high profile people on the council, and I signed off on it. My reason for doing so is simple: With Gino and Anya on the student council, we can keep a closer eye on them than we would be able to do otherwise. Plus, we can keep them busy with the Milly's antics. In fact, it shouldn't be hard to get Milly to put all the… 'activities' she had planned for me on Gino, especially since the two of us are dating."

"Speaking of" Kallen said, pulling Lelouch closer with a smile on her face, "I think we need to do more to keep up the appearance of a happy couple"

"Who said anything about appearances?" Lelouch said, returning the smile as he moved in for the kiss.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

An odor of tobacco tinged the air in the casino, as it does with all casinos. It tinged the "electronics area", where the hapless and the pros sat frustrated in front of slot and pachinko machines. It tinged the card tables, where dealers looked out for card sharps and bouncers evicting any that where found. It tinged the cordoned off area towards the back, where the wealthier patrons enjoyed drugs, flesh, and other things in privacy…for a price. And it tinged a quiet area to the side, where Lelouch sat engaged in a chess match while Rivalz and Gino watched with nervous excitement.

It was really because of Gino that they had been here. During the induction meeting, Gino had told Lelouch that he had heard of his illegal chess matches, and wanted to attend one. To everyone's surprise, Lelouch had acquiesced and told Rivalz to schedule a round of matches for the next afternoon. And so, at the end of the next school day, the three of them had gone to the Babel Tower, the location of the premier casino in Area 11, and began the round of matches. Following Lelouch's fourth win of the day, he excused himself to restroom before the final match of the day. As he walked in and splashed some water in his face, he heard a familiar yet uncomfortable voice.

"Oh come on Lulu, don't act like these matches are tiring you out. You're lucky Gino and Rivalz aren't smart enough to see that you're just playing with your opponents for the sake of a show."

Lelouch looked up into the mirror to see Mao standing next to the stall with a smirk on his face. "Can you blame me?" he said, as he turned off the sink and reached for the towel. "The Knight of Three wanted a thrill, so I'm giving him a thrill."

"True. But, there are multiple kinds of thrills. That's something you should keep in mind if you want to keep Kallen as happy as she is."

"Mao-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. 'Stay away from my woman or there'll be hell to pay'. The point I was _going_ to make was that you should go for a more decisive victory for your next match."

"Fine" Lelouch snarled, already annoyed with how this conversation was going. "Did you get anything useful?"

"I did!" Mao said with a smile, pulling a piece of paper out of his coat pocket and handing it to Lelouch. "I got names, dates, locations, everything you could want for extorting and destroying the mobsters in this building. And you would not believe the blackmail material that I've extracted! These 'hardened criminals' are going to be putty in our hands."

"That should be useful Mao. Did you get anything on the target I _asked_ you to –"

"Oh yeah, Gino. As far as he knows, his mission here is to assist your half-sister in pacifying the area. He doesn't know about the connections that you and your sister have with either the royalty or the Black Knights. He also has heard a considerable amount of talk concerning a project known as 'Hallmark', something that the Viceroy's sister was working on before you captured her."

"Hmm, I'll have to ask her about that. Did you get anything from him on the Emperor?"

"That was interesting. From the memories I got out of him, the Emperor seems distracted, like he's constantly concerned with something. Now Gino thinks it's got to do with either the rebellion you got going on over here or the war going on over in Europe. But I know you don't think that's what he's worried about."

"You're right" Lelouch replied, thinking over the new information. The emperor really couldn't care about what happened to his own children, much less the territories that he held. There was only one thing he truly cared about: the Ragnarok project. And from what Mao was telling him, it must be going poorly in this timeline.

"Speaking of," Mao said, "next time you talk to your Mom, could you tell her that 'Ragnarok' is a terrible name for an apocalypse plot? It's a little on the nose, if you ask me."

Lelouch's eyes grew narrow in fury. "Mao, if you ever tell-"

"Yeah, yeah, I won't tell anyone about that" Mao said sympathetically, holding up his hands in protest. "Believe me, I understand why _that_ has to remain a secret."

"As long as you do. And if you do decide to tell anyone, you can read my mind to see what will happen. Anything else?"

"Just two things. One: your friend Rivalz is going to ask for some advice on snagging the lady of his dreams. Tell him that the first step should be to get Milly a box of chocolate, and then ask her out to the new Andrews film that's coming out next week. And two: your next opponent, the so-called 'Black King', he's going to try for a castling move to win the game quickly. If you can turn it against him, you can deliver the decisive victory that Gino's hoping to see."

"Alright, thanks Mao" Lelouch sighed as he walked out of the restroom. He really didn't want to take advice from Mao, but he knew that it would be useful and that Mao knew that he knew that he knew.

And that, more than anything, annoyed him.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Meanwhile, Kallen sat in Lelouch's apartment, thinking over the past few days. There was a lot of to think about, but she was mostly thinking about her brand new relationship with Lelouch. As new as it was, Kallen couldn't help but feel as light as a feather. As inspiring a commander as he was, Lelouch had revealed a tender side that had managed to surprise Kallen. She could see it in him; every time he held her hand, every time he kissed her, every time he said –

"Kallen" she heard Nunnally say, approaching her with a platter. "Here's your tea" the hidden princess said, placing a cup and saucer in front of her.

"Thank you" Kallen said, raising the cup to her lips before she stopped. "You didn't poison this like you did with Suzaku, did you?" she asked, her eyes narrowing with a wary look.

"No, I didn't" Nunnally said with a chuckle. "I'm not going to poison my brother's girlfriend. Besides, do you think doing that a poisoning that brazen would work on someone like you?"

"Thank you" Kallen sighed, taking a sip as well. "You're not mad about us dating, right?" she asked, placing her cup down.

"Hardly" Nunnally responded, placing her cup down as well. "I'm actually thankful that Lelouch is actually dating this time around. It's a relief, knowing that he has room for other things in his heart besides me and revenge. And I'm particularly thankful that you're the one dating him, since you're someone I know will take care of him."

"Thank you, that means a lot."

"Your welcome. Now, I know that it's early days, but how's it been going?"

"It's been absolutely wonderful. Although, I could do without all the girls on campus would stop glaring at me." And it was true. Since her relationship with Lelouch had leaked, almost all the girls on campus had been glaring at Kallen harshly, with their words towards and about her matching. The only three girls weren't treating her with anger: Milly and Nina (the only two girls on campus, it seemed, without any romantic interest in Lelouch), who were treating her normally; and Shirley, who seemed to be avoiding her.

"Yeah, they've been a bit harsh on you" Nunnally said in agreement. She had always heard Milly jest about how popular Lelouch was, but it was only after she had returned to Ashford with her eyesight that she saw the truth of it. Girls seemed to faun over Lelouch whenever he went, and they all seemed to speak to him in a tone of adoration. And they didn't even know that he was prince! It made sense that they would all be angry that he would be snatched up by Kallen.

"At least you approve" Kallen said, looking at Nunnally with thankful eyes. "If you didn't approve, I doubt Lelouch would even look at me, regardless of his feelings."

"Speaking about that" Nunnally responded, her eyes turning from cheerful to troubled, "I wanted to talk to you about Lelouch."

Kallen looked intently at the princess, her face showing signs of concern. Nunnally continued: "While we've done a lot to change the timeline, I'm worried that we haven't done enough yet. I'm worried that this will still end with Lelouch dead on the ground. This isn't outside the realm of possibility; we both know that Lelouch has absolutely no problem risking his own life. It's part of what makes him such a capable leader, and it enables him to do what he needs to do. But I'm sure that neither of us could stand to see Lelouch dead again. So I'm asking you, as someone else who loves my big brother as much as I do, help me keep him alive. We need to do more than protect him from his enemies; we need to protect him from him from himself."

"I agree" Kallen responded, offering a hand. "Do we have a pact?"

Nunnally took the hand. "We have a pact."

The conversation then turned to less weighty matters, such as the Black Knight's future operations and Milly's plans for the two new members of the student council.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Ashford Academy Clubhouse was perhaps the most underutilized building on the campus. Aside from the meeting room, the ballroom, and the Lamprouge's apartments, the building remained unused. There were numerous rooms that saw no use and no occupants, save the occasional young couple who used it as their secret meeting spot. However, one set of rooms had started see more activity. These were the rooms that served as Cornelia li Britannia's prison cell.

It had been a masterstroke on Zero's part. After all, who would expect to find a captured princess so deep in the Tokyo Settlement? And very few people knew Cornelia was there: the three time travelers, the immortal witch, and the loyal ninja maid. Anyone who would've been in that part had been geassed into avoiding the area; anyone else who happened to wander to there were swiftly escorted away by a kind yet stern Sayoko. Cornelia herself only two visitors: the first was the maid, who attended to Cornelia's needs three times a day. The second was Zero, who appeared whenever he had a reason to talk to the princess.

Cornelia was reading the newspaper that had been given to her during breakfast when Zero appeared. It was a new experience for her, learning to read between the lines of the pre-censored news in order to discern what was really happening in the world. At the very least, she was thankful that Euphemia was the Viceroy in this scenario; if the Viceroy had been anyone less honest, figuring the truth would've been much harder. Cornelia was reading an article about an art show being held in Clovis' honor when she heard the door open. Knowing that it was still too early for the maid to have come in with her dinner, she looked up and saw that Zero had entered. "How are you doing today, Cornelia?" the metallic voice asked as the door closed behind him,

"Could do with more sunlight, the room is a drab as a funeral parlor" Cornelia answered. She motioned towards the window, which had mostly boarded up save a small amount at the top, where a sliver of sunlight had been allowed to come in. In truth, the conditions were better than she could have hoped for. She had expected to be thrown into a dark, dank dungeon littered with rats and roaches…at best. Instead, she had been placed in this room, with a bed, desk, and bathroom. Cornelia was still prisoner, but she was the most comfortable prisoner that she had ever heard of.

"Sorry we can't do anything about that. Aside from that, is there anything else? Your meals have been good? The books you requested came in?"

"The food is fine. And I thank you for getting these books. Although," Cornelia said as she held up one of the book, open for to show a blacked out return by sleeve, "I would like to know where you're getting them from."

Zero chuckled underneath his mask. "No can do, I'm afraid" he said.

"Alright" Cornelia said as she snapped the book shut. "Let's get down to business. What do you want from me this time?"

Zero sighed. It appeared that no matter the timeline, Cornelia's ability to carry a conversation was severely stunted. "Very well. I recently started hearing whispers about a project that began under you, something called 'Hallmark'. Why don't you tell me all about it?"

"Now why I would tell you about that project, or anything at all? All you would do is kill more Britannian soldiers, and destabilize Area 11 further."

"You couldn't be more wrong about my intentions. I have no desire to destabilize _Japan_ any more, nor do I want to kill Britannian soldiers just because. My goal is for justice, always has been. To that end, I will do whatever I need to. If I have to kill Britannian soldiers to do it, I'll do it. If I have to kill Japanese rebels to do it, I'll do it. If I have to give my own life, I'll do it. But I would like to do it as neatly and cleanly as possible. So, if you don't give me the information I need, I'll be forced to move on with…less than clear eyesight. And if I do that, there's no telling what collateral damage may occur. It could be a contingent of soldiers in the wrong place, any number of innocent bystanders, even your own sister."

"Are you threating Euphie?" Cornelia asked, her voice dripping with an angry venom.

"No" Zero responded placatingly, "I'm not threating your sister. Not directly anyhow. But I'm warning you: Things could get very messy. You have the opportunity to limit that mess."

Cornelia sighed. Zero had trapped her completely. She only had two choices: Either tell Zero what she knew and betray her country, or refuse and put Euphie in greater danger. She decided to choose the lesser of two evils.

"Hallmark was an intelligence collection project" Cornelia confessed. "It's designed to track the JLF's movements and supply routes by monitoring the communications that they try to keep secret."

"I see. Thank you, your grace." Zero responded. He then got up and proceeded to move towards the door.

"That's it?" Cornelia asked, a little stunned at how little Zero had asked.

Zero turned around to face the former Viceroy. "You've been a prisoner here" he said. "The rest of my questions need to be answered by someone with up to date information." And with that, he walked out and left Cornelia to seethe all by herself.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was a perfect day to enjoy the park. The sun was out and brightly shining, yet the light breezes kept the temperature at a reasonable cool. If one was looking to get away from the bustle of the city for a period time and enjoy a sense of serenity, they could've have not picked a better spot.

Despite this, Jeremiah was extremely tense as he sat at the public chessboard. Most people would have assumed that he was nervous due because he was about to meet a date, but that wasn't it. If any of them knew that he had just committed high treason, they'd assume that he was nervous about being caught; but that wasn't the reason either. The real reason why he was nervous was because he was afraid of disappointing his prince.

Ever since Lelouch had revealed himself and told Jeremiah that he had an opportunity for redemption, the latter had been eager with anticipation. He couldn't wait for the first opportunity to serve his mistress's children, and finally the time had come. Lelouch had contacted him and told him that he wanted several documents pertaining to a project named "Hallmark". This was a highly classified operation, but Jeremiah managed to get himself into the project and obtain the files requested. Now he was here to deliver the documents to a liaison that his prince had designated. Jeremiah now had to wait for the liaison to give the documents. Suddenly, he heard a small motor approach him, followed by a "Good afternoon, Lord Jeremiah!"

Jeremiah turned to see an astonishing sight. Approaching him was a young girl in a wheelchair. She was dressed in a simple dress, yet was accompanied by an Eleven maid. But it was the violet eyes that caught his attention, and led him to deduce her identity. A violet eyed, blonde girl in a wheelchair, this could only be one person.

"Princess Nunnally!" he said, getting up from his bench.

"Please don't stand" Nunnally said, raising her hand in a gesture to signal calm down Jeremiah. "And please, when out in public, call me Alice. There's no telling who might overhear our conversations"

"Right" Jeremiah said, feeling embarrassed. Nunnally took to the other side of the chess board. "Before we begin our game, maam, I have a token of my gratitude: chocolates from the famed Meindel confectioners. They have a branch store here in Tokyo that is so good, it is said to rival the original store in Vienna." With that, he handed her a bag that very ostensibly bore the Meindel logo. Nunnally took the bag and inspected the contents; she was surprised to see that in addition to the files requested, there was actually a box of chocolates in the bag as well.

"Lord Jeremiah, you shouldn't have" Nunnally said with a smile. "These must have cost you a pretty penny."

Jeremiah gave a short, gracious bow. "Anything for the children of my mistress. Although I'm confused as to the colors of the wrapping paper."

Nunnally smiled as she grasped the hidden meaning of those words; Jeremiah had been instructed to print the files on colored paper. "It makes all the easier to disguise, my lord" she responded, "easier to hide their true nature."

Jeremiah smiled, more than happy to accept that explanation. The two then proceeded to begin their game.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lelouch sat in the warehouse, preparing himself for the battle that was about to take place. Earlier, he had briefed the Black Knights about their upcoming operation: assisting the JLF escape Tokyo. The plan had been laid out meticulously, but Lelouch still needed to prepare himself for anything unexpected. If he didn't, he would panic and lose control of the battle. And when that happened, there was an extreme chance that someone would get hurt, like –

"Lelouch?" Kallen asked, as she stood in the doorway.

"Oh, hello Kallen," Lelouch said, startled out of his thoughts. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is just going find" Kallen said haltingly. Confused by her tone, Lelouch turned to look at Kallen, and saw her face was red with embarrassment.

"Why is your face red? It's not like last time, when you didn't know my identity. Unless –" Lelouch stopped midsentence as the reason dawned on him. "Really?" he said, causing Kallen's face to turn redder. "Well" Lelouch said with a chuckle, "You no longer get to call me a pervert."

"Sh-shut up _baka_ " Kallen said, taking a seat next to him. "I'm just – I just-" But the protestation died down as Kallen couldn't come up with a good response. Looking to change the subject, she said "Do you trust the intel that Diethard's giving you? I mean, he did betray in the last timeline."

"Two things about that" Lelouch responded, having anticipated a such a question. "One: I had Jeremiah and Mao verify his information before I brought here. Two: _Everybody_ betrayed me in the previous timeline. If I were to exclude people based on that criteria, I'd find myself all alone."

Kallen sighed, once again unable to counter Lelouch's logic. "So, it's the same plan as last time?"

"Not quite" Lelouch said. "This time, the ship is an actual decoy. Katase, sakuradite, and company will be leaving for China out of the port in Osaka. Meanwhile, we'll be sitting in the submarine here, "guarding" the fake ship. The Britannians board the ship, find nothing, and everyone goes their separate ways."

"Huh. How'd you convince Kyoto and the JLF to move away from the original plan?"

"Well," Lelouch said, as he rose and picked up an origami crane that he handed to Kallen, "I have some very good intelligence."

Kallen unfolded the crane, revealing it to be a classified Imperial memorandum. "Woah! How did you come by this?"

"Would you believe me if I told you that I got from a box of chocolates?" Lelouch said jokingly.

Kallen gave Lelouch a bemused look as she stood up and handed back the memo. "Well, I now know what I want you to give me on our next date" she said with a grin.

And with that, the couple left the warehouse, to complete the next mission.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

To Lelouch, it seemed that the plan had been going smoothly. The Britannians had boarded the ship and, according to K-2's monitoring of their communications, had found nothing. Soon, they would either let the ship keep sailing, or haul it into the port. And then Zero's plan would have been a flawless success, with not a single bullet fired.

However, his hopes were dashed when the ship suddenly exploded.

"What the hell just happened?" Zero heard Ohgi say through the radio.

"One of the idiots on the boat must have shot a fuel tank or something" Lelouch responded. That was the same thing he had said last time; but this time he actually meant it. He really had moved the no idea why the boat had exploded. But that shouldn't be a problem, so long as –

"Warning!" K-2's voice shouted through the radio. "The enemy has spotted you! Prepare to engage!"

 _Well, crap_ Lelouch thought, his last hopes of leaving without a shot fired gone. He would have moved the submarine out of the battlefield immediately, except one of the Glouchesters fired a slash harken into the roof and grappled itself onto the vessel. Now that there was an advanced Knightmare attacking the submarine at close range, Lelouch decided to use a bold maneuver: He moved the submarine forward quickly and rammed it into the pier. Soon, the doors were and the Black Knights swarmed out, with Lelouch shouting through the radio for everyone to scatter and meet at the rendezvous points. By the time he had finished shouting out instructions, the battle was fully underway. Lelouch saw Suzaku's Lancelot move straight for him, only to be intercepted by Kallen. Realizing that he had only so long before Suzaku managed to break away, Lelouch moved into an alley in order to get away. Unfortunately, he was then confronted by Gino's Tristan. Lelouch's Burai wasn't equipped to handle this Tristan's level of performance, so he turned and ran, using his knowledge of the shipyard to maintain a distance ahead. The Tristan followed him, keeping a very close tail. The chase went on from sometime, before Lelouch used his slash harken to topple a shipping container full of fireworks into the path of Gino and set it afire. With Gino thoroughly distracted, Zero hurried as fast he could to the rendezvous point, all the while keeping an eye out for any other opponents that would come after him. Fortunately, he was able to make his way to the rendezvous point without any further incident. Before too long, he met up with all his key officers, including Ohgi and Kallen. The Black Knights had suffered three casualties; but given how quickly the operation had gone sideways, they all considered themselves lucky. With that, Zero dismissed all of them, telling them to lie low for a few days and wait for instructions from him. Before long, it was just Lelouch and Kallen standing alone together. They shared a brief embrace before they parted their separate ways and went off into the night, promising each other to call in the morning. As Lelouch changed into his civilian identity and made his way to Ashford, he made a note to himself to ask Nunnally if she could get information on the Britannian post battle meetings. He was sure there were some interesting things being said by his half-sister.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"JUST WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!"

The room cringed at Princess Euphemia's angry shout. Suzaku, Gilbert, and Gino all sat around the hospital room; a bit bruised from the battle, but otherwise fine. Dalton wasn't so lucky. He had suffered three broken ribs and a broken leg. Anya was in another room, getting treated for a concussion.

"Your Grace-" Dalton tried to say in a placating tone.

"No" Euphie said angrily, cutting him off. "I don't care what your reason is; it couldn't possibly justify grappling onto a submarine! You probably spooked Zero, causing him to ram that submarine into the pier. If you hadn't done that, we probably would've had less casualties then."

"Personally, I'm just thankful that Anya didn't get hurt any more than she did" Gino said. Anya had been in the direct of the oncoming submarine. She managed to dodge the vessel in time, but the abruptness of the maneuver caused her to lose control of her Mordred and crash.

"Honestly, if it wasn't for Dalton, I'd say that the most boneheaded move of the night would've been you firing on the Black Knights" Euphie said to Gilbert, shifting the focus of her ire to him. "Honestly, what would my sister say, seeing her own knight engaging in combat without an official approval?"

"Your Grace, it was for your sister that I fired" Gilbert answered. "I thought if we could get Zero, we could force the Black Knights to give up Princess Cornelia"

"How thoroughly did you think this through? Because this hinders any chance of that, if anything" Euphemia countered. Gilbert moved to respond, but Euphie held her hand in a gesture that told him to be silent. "Enough. We'll talk more about this tomorrow. Suzaku, come with me." And with that, the princess and her knight-to-be walked out of the room, leaving the rest of them to brood over their wounds and failures.

In the Viceroy's private office, Euphemia dropped her regal attitude and slumped in her chair. Suzaku rushed over to her, asking "Is everything alright, Euphie?"

"I'm fine, Suzaku. I'm just really tired of fighting all these wars" Euphie said.

"I know. Sometimes, I wish we could get Zero to fight _for_ us, so we could end this quickly."

"Speaking of" Euphie said as she looked up at Suzaku, "how did you know that the Black Knights were there?"

"I saw them through the scope of my Lancelot's rifle."

"But why were you looking over there? One would think that you would be looking at the explosion."

"…I had a gut feeling that there was something over there."

Euphie was too tired to argue with such a weak answer. "Alright, Suzaku. I need to see you tomorrow, we need to talk about how we're going to deal with the Black Knights."

"Another operation? So soon?"

"No, no more operations. I don't think we can beat Zero on the battlefield" Euphie admitted. But her eyes didn't admit defeat; they were showed the focus that comes with the formation of a plan. "I think that we need to explore some alternative strategies."

* * *

And...that's another one down!

Questions? Comments? Insidious Remarks? Please a review below! I'll see you all at the next chapter!

\- TWA


	10. Chapter 9: Carnival, Apocalyptic, Elegic

Hey Everybody! How's it going!

...

OK, I understand I took way too long with this chapter. My initial plan was to get this done before Thanksgiving (I think), but thanks to a combination of exams, illnesses, writer's block, and my own laziness prevented this story from being updated. To all of you who followed and favorited this story (especially those of you who did it whilst waiting for this chapter), I thank you for your (near) infinite patience. I won't promise that I'll get the next chapter out sooner, but I'll promise to try! I won't bother with any of the usual legal malarkey, so let's get on with the story!

* * *

 **Chapter 9: The Apocalyptic, The Elegiac, and The Carnival**

 _ **I'd rather die happy than not die at all –**_ **The Band**

 _ **The future's uncertain, the end is always near**_ **– The Doors**

Kallen had been through some intense things during her lifetime. She had fought in multiple battles, faced down tyrannical emperors, been interrogated under threat of torture, even been nearly executed. Yet what faced her now seemed to terrify her more than any those.

Tonight, she was going on a date.

She must have tried on every article of clothing in her closet at least three different times, and that wasn't counting the different combinations that were experimented with. This took about an hour; and when she picked her outfit, she then spent another hour obsessing over all the other details. When they had been dealt with, she turned to the final piece: the perfume. After agonizing over which fragrance to choose, she moved to apply it when she heard a voice from behind her.

"Don't spray the perfume directly on yourself" Hori said, with a knowing smile. "Spray into the room and walk into the mist. That way, you won't overwhelm him with the scent."

Kallen gave her mother a grateful grin. "Thanks" she said, before proceeding to follow her mother's advice.

Soon enough she heard the doorbell. Her first response was to fret one more time about her outfit. After finally calming herself down, she headed out of her room. Walking to the staircase, she saw what she had fervently hoped wouldn't happen: Lelouch and her stepmother standing in the foyer, in the midst of an angry staring contest. The current Mrs. Stadtfeld then turned up to look at Kallen. "Ah, Kallen" she said "I've just met your … _boyfriend_. I must say, it's rare that I'm stunned, but you've out done yourself: You've managed to be even more pathetic than …the help."

"Mrs. Stadtfeld, do you think you could _please treat Kallen and her mother with more respect?_ " Lelouch said, twisting Mrs. Statdfeld towards him and lacing his words with a Geass command.

" _Sure_ " said the geassed stepmother. She then turned to Kallen. " _Have a nice time, dear_ " she said before leaving the room.

The two finally looked each other, and each felt a warm feeling blossom in their heart. "Hello" Lelouch said to Kallen, kissing her on the cheek as she walked down the stairs and embraced him. "May I say you look lovely tonight?"

"Thank you" Kallen replied with a smile. "Shall we?"

"My pleasure." And with that, they headed out of the house and into the night.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The night was serene. Spring was in full bloom, and traces of summer could be felt upon the wind. There were the bare traces of a clouds, so the light that came from the half-moon shown through the sky with a muted light. And as it was a Friday night, people were out in force; they were celebrating the oncoming weekend, fostering memories with loved ones, looking for a good time. Lelouch and Kallen were such people, and their plans for making memories involved going the carnival that had popped up in the area of the Tokyo Settlement known as Takashimadaira. As they got on the Victoria Line, Kallen noticed that something was bothering Lelouch. "Lelouch" she said in a concerned tone, "what's on your mind?"

Lelouch looked at Kallen, coming out of his meditations. "Sorry" he said with a sheepish look, "I was just thinking about some stuff with the Black Knights, like meeting with Todoh yesterday."

"Why are you worried about Todoh? I know that he was really outspoken about killing you last time, but you haven't killed Katase this time around, so –"

"Look" Lelouch said, taking Kallen's hand. "I…I don't want to talk to you about this tonight. It's not that I don't trust you with the matter, far from it. It's just…I wanted to have this night to ourselves. I've lived my last life completely for revenge; and because I did that, I got to miss out on a lot of things that makes life…enjoyable. So tonight, could we just be ourselves?"

"Alright" said Kallen, thankful that Lelouch wasn't just thinking about the revolution. "Tonight, we're not Black Knights, we're not commander and ace, we're not a prince and a rebel hiding out in a school. We're Kallen and Lelouch."

Lelouch beamed at her, replying "Perfect."

They were about to kiss, when they heard the loudspeaker announce "Arriving at Takashimadaira" and dashed off the train before the doors closed.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There was only one way to describe the carnival: _Alive_. It was a place where the cares and pains of the world were set to the side, and the patrons lost themselves in a whirlwind of amusement and fried foods. It's a place where the air was electric, where the lights flashed as bright as the stars, and where all sense of time was lost, only regained when the exhausted patron left the carnival and felt the cold sting of reality sink back in.

For Kallen, that wouldn't be any time soon as she was having the time of her life. She couldn't remember a time when she had had this much, certainly not before the invasion. It was if she was a little girl again; every candy, every game, every ride seemed be one the best one of her life. The only thing that was hampering her joy was the fact she wasn't moving fast enough, and that was because Lelouch had insisted that he'd be the one to carry around the giant teddy bear that they had won in a game of darts.

"You sure you don't want me to carry that?" Kallen asked, turning to see Lelouch lugging the huge stuffed animal as if it were a bag of bricks.

"No…I'm good" Lelouch grunted.

Kallen sighed amusedly. Lelouch had many qualities which she adored and admired; his physical strength was not one of them. "Here," she said, taking the large bear from Lelouch. "You think with all the military things you do, you'd have gained _some_ muscles along the way."

Lelouch smiled. "Sorry. What I have in brains, I lack in muscles."

Kallen smiled back. "I know."

They were about to give each other a small kiss, when they heard a "Hey!" from across the way. Lelouch and Kallen turned to see a disguised Euphemia, followed by Suzaku carrying his own giant stuffed animal, waving at them. The four of them met in the middle of the fairgrounds, with the other passing patrons ignorant of the importance of the group.

"It's good to see you again, Lelouch" Euphie said, pulling him into a hug.

"It's good to see you too, Eu-" Lelouch began.

"Lilian" Euphemia responded, looking around quickly to make sure no one had overheard that misstep.

"So, _Lilian_ , what brings you here?" Kallen asked.

"I honestly wanted to get out of the palace. All the quiet worry that no one wants to openly talk about…it gets oppressive at times. So, I talked Suzaku here into taking to the fair that was in town. What brings you two here?"

"Just date night" Lelouch responded, hoping that nothing too ridiculous would happen.

"I wasn't planning on running into you tonight," Euphie said, "but I'm glad that I did. Kallen, do you mind if I borrow my dear cousin for a bit?"

"Not at all" Kallen said, as Euphemia and Lelouch went off to the side. Meanwhile, Kallen and Suzaku, each clutching a giant stuffed animal, leaned against the guard-fence while the merry-go-round spun behind them.

"Congratulations on your knighthood" Kallen said warmly, to which Suzaku gave a noncommittal thanks. After a minute or two of silence, she realized that Suzaku had no intention of continuing that conversation, Kallen decided to try another line of discussion. "What do you think they're talking about?" she asked.

"If it's about what I think it is," Suzaku responded in a troubled tone, "I'm not sure I'm allowed to talk about it."

"Why so glum?" Kallen asked as she noticed the sullen look on Suzaku's face. "Are things going poorly between you and- …Lilian?"

"No, things are fine" Suzaku answered. "Things are great actually. I'm just…worried about her being around Lelouch."

"Why? You two are best friends! Are you worried that Lelouch will steal Lilian from you?"

"In a way, yes. But probably not in the way that you're thinking."

"Well", Kallen said with a huff, "if he steals her in any sort of way, he'll have to contend with me."

"Now that," Suzaku said with a smile, "is something I think even Lelouch would be scared of."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Whilst that conversation was going on, another was being tended to on a pathway at the edge of the Arakawa river, between the two most powerful people in the Area. Not that anyone could tell; to the average passerby, it just seemed like it was two teenagers having a conversation about anything.

"So," Lelouch began, "What did you want to talk about?"

"How the conflict between our two forces are going to end" Euphemia replied.

"What do you mean?" Lelouch said with a false chuckle. "I'm only a high school –"

"Quit the routine, Lelouch" Euphie interrupted, with an edge of irritation creeping into her voice. "I know that you're the Zero, leader of the Black Knights".

Lelouch was about to refute this when he saw the steeliness in the princess's eyes; apparently, this wouldn't be a discussion. He sighed and said, "What gave me away?"

"When I got that letter saying that Zero was protecting Nunnally. You're the only person that you would trust with her protection."

"Fair enough" Lelouch said with a real chuckle this time, inwardly cursing himself for making such a careless mistake. "What did you want to discuss first?"

"First? First, what of _my_ sister? How is she? _Where_ is she? What-"

"To answer your first question, Cornelia is doing fine. I have her in a confined somewhere secure, with her needs being attended to. As for location, do you really think I would just give you that information freely?"

"True" Euphie said with a sigh. "As to the reason I asked you aside, I wanted to tell you about on how we are going to end this war."

"Really? You sure you should be revealing your strategy to the enemy?" Lelouch said, raising an eyebrow.

"This isn't strategy, this is fact. We both know that neither of us can really pull off a complete victory at this point. Currently, I can't beat you and the Black Knights without resorting to methods that I consider…unsavory. I also can't maintain the current tactics of our siblings of wearing down resistance as our resources are nearly at an end, as is our father's patience. And you know that your own resources are probably at an end, plus you couldn't stand up to anything that the Empire would send your way should they see you as a legitimate threat."

Lelouch nodded. After all, what she had said was true. And he would have enormous problems when the updated versions of Gino's and Anya's Knightmares came in. They had only just seized the Gawain just a few days ago, so there was no telling how soon anyone would have flying Kightmares ready. Peace would certainly give him time to prepare his next moves against the Emperor. "So, what do you have in mind?"

Euphie's eyes gleamed with an ambitious hope. "I'm proposing a place where the Japanese can live as Japanese instead of as Elevens. A place where everyone can enjoy equal rights.

"And what is the place?" Lelouch asked, already knowing the answer.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"The Special Administration Zone? What the hell is that supposed to be?" Tamaki blurted out in his usual tone of voice, which is to say loudly.

"If you ever watched the news, Tamaki" Ohgi said with a sigh, "you would have gotten an explanation"

It was a week following Lelouch's encounter with Euphemia, and the SAZ had just been announced the night before. Princesses Euphemia had declared that a special region would be declared where Elevens would be allowed to enjoy the rights of full citizenship and call themselves Japanese again. In exchange, all she asked was that her sister, 2nd Princess Cornelia li Britannia, be returned unharmed and unmolested. In response, Zero had summoned the key personnel in order to discuss how to respond to this situation.

"I don't think we should give Cornelia up" Yoshida said. "I feel that she is too valuable to give up for something so small."

"So, small?" Mao said with a chuckle. "Trust me, this is the best that we are going to get. If your goal is to get full independence, you might as well be taking Refrain like your roommate's sister."

Yoshida looked like was about to start throwing punches, but he was stopped by a motion from Zero, who then proceeded to look in Mao's direction. Though no words were apparently said, Mao said "Hey, don't blame me Z-man. It wouldn't be such an issue if everyone here wasn't so touchy."

"Regardless about what insults are being thrown around, Mao is right about one thing: This may be the best offer we'll ever get. That is why I will accept this deal."

This resulted in a number of surprised gasps.

"Are you serious?" Tamaki said. "You're giving in, right when we've been on a winning streak."

"Look, that's exactly why we need to take this deal" Zero responded. "We've achieved great victories these past few months, but they've come with high costs. Our resources and luck can bear us out forever. I feel that we should take this, rather than push for something more and losing this for good."

"Besides," Kurohime added, "Kyoto is also in favor in taking this deal."

This caused another round of surprised gasps. "Really?" said someone in the room. "Why?"

"I'm not entirely sure" Zero said, who still wondered at why Kirihara had been willing to go along with Euphie's plans. "Nevertheless, we were told to go along with the unveiling of the Special Administration Zone. I know that most of you have already signed up for the opening ceremony; if anyone else wants to do so, I won't stop you."

"How do we know that the Brits won't double-cross us?" Chiba, Todoh's lieutenant asked.

"Princess Euphemia is not like most of the royalty" Zero said "She is far too kind and too well intentioned to attempt to pull any sort of trickery."

"Besides" Kurohime added, "my source within the Britannian government tells me that there is no indication that any sort of betrayal is being set up."

"Nor has the media stations been sent any prepackaged materials that would suggest anything similar" said Diethard.

"That doesn't mean we'll be trusting the Empire completely" Zero said. "A task force will be set up around the perimeter of the SAZ in case anything goes down. This force will be led by Todoh and Ohgi. Any further questions?"

For a short period of time, it looked like no one had anything to ask. Suddenly, Mao spoke up, saying "One last thing Zero. The representative from Kyoto said that you were a true enemy of Britannia. Are you simply going to lay down your arms and forgo your fights with the Empire?"

Zero sighed, and responded in a voice that sounded much older. "I have enough quarrels with Britannia to see it obliterated to dust. However, I will not continue that fight at the expense of Japan. I will stay here long enough to see that Princess Euphemia keeps her word. After that, I will leave Japan and take my fight for justice elsewhere. If anyone here wishes to accompany me, they are welcome to do so."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Though it looked like the conversation had ended back at the Black Knight's HQ, it continued amongst Lelouch and Kallen in the Ashford Academy's student council room. They held this conversation discreetly, as they did not want to draw attention to themselves; this was easy enough to do, as the rest of the council's attention was focused on Milly, who wanted to see how the gown she was going to wear at the Spring Ball was going to look and had decided that Gino was going to be the model as a dressmaker's dummy wasn't available. So, while Milly (with the help of a reluctant Rivalz and Shirley) forced her outfit onto Gino, Lelouch and Kallen whispered to each other in serious tones whilst they kept bemused looks on their faces.

"Do you really plan to let the SAZ to go through?" Kallen said quietly.

"I do" Lelouch replied.

"Why though? Last time, the SAZ descended into chaos and you shot the princess."

"That was mostly mistakes on my part. I'll see to it that it doesn't happen again."

"But the battle plans you've given are the same –"

"That's just in case someone else, say the Emperor, tries something."

"Fine. Say the SAZ goes through and everyone is happy. What happens then?"

"Like I said, I'll lie low for a while, then I'll plan my next move against the emperor."

There was a moment of silence, then Kallen asked suddenly "Aren't you tired of fighting? Do you really need to keep up your fight with the Emperor? He thinks you're dead, and we can get the princesses to keep silent, or geass them."

"Believe me," Lelouch said, "I would love nothing better than to just retire and live in peace for the rest of my life. But as long as the Emperor is still on the throne, none of us will ever be truly safe. Not only that, but there are those close to him that would that would try to get at us and see his mad schemes."

"What do you mean?" Kallen kept the bemused look on her face as Milly had now decided to use Gino as her makeup model as well, but Lelouch could hear the confused fear in her voice.

Lelouch was about to respond, when he saw out the corner of his eye that Suzaku was trying to subtly catch his attention. Subtly shifting his head towards him to acknowledge, he saw a hand quietly move up and tug a collar. With that, Suzaku rose up and left the room. "I'll explain later" Lelouch said ambiguously, and with that he left the room as well.

As he made his way up to the roof, Lelouch wondered what Suzaku wanted to talk about. Did he figure out that he was Zero? Had Euphie told him? She hadn't in the previous timeline, but what if she this time around? What if Suzaku had figured it out on his own? He had never been terribly good at strategy, but when he put his mind to it, Suzaku could be a problematic enemy.

As he opened the door to the roof, he looked around for his old friend, but Suzaku was nowhere to be seen. As he stepped out further, Lelouch wondered where-

Suddenly, he felt his throat constrict and his knees buckle. Lelouch knew that he was being choked from behind, but he couldn't seem to pry…the arm… off…

Just as suddenly, the stranglehold was relieved and Lelouch gasped for air. As he caught his breath, he could hear two people struggling behind him. Turning around, he saw Suzaku being restrained by Kallen with a chokehold similar to what Lelouch believed had just been used on him. Both had looks on their face that could only described as pure fury. "What's going on here?" Lelouch asked, trying to figure out was going on.

"I got suspicious when you both left at the same time" Kallen spat out, her voice soaked in fury. "I followed you both, and saw this motherfucker trying to kill you! I knew I should've killed him at Narita!"

Lelouch wanted to tell Kallen to calm down, but he knew that this wasn't the time for it. Instead, he looked down at Suzaku and said "I'm curious. Why?"

Kallen eased her hold so that Suzaku could answer. In short grunts, he replied "I-can't-let-you-kill-Euphie-again."

Lelouch's eyes narrowed as he thought over Suzaku's words…Then flew open as he grasped their meaning.

"Oh hell," Lelouch groaned, "Don't tell me you time traveled too."

At that point, Kallen let Suzaku go, who just rolled over. Everyone at this point was too shocked to continue fighting.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Soon enough they were sitting around the table, in a sense of awkward silence. On side of the table, there was Lelouch and Kallen, trying to communicate non-verbally without attracting attention. On the other side, Suzaku sat alone, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone. And at one head of the table was C.C, eating a pizza and trying to figure out what had happened between everyone.

Just then, Nunnally wheeled in to the sullen scene. "Sorry I took so long" she said, "But it took me a little longer to break away…". She stopped talking as she took in the atmosphere of the room. "What's happened?" she asked.

Lelouch drew a reluctant breath. "Nunnally," he said, "we have another time traveler".

Nunnally took a look at Suzaku, whose calm and tense demeanor confirmed what her brother had said. "Fuck" she swore violently, stunning everyone but C.C (who thought that the awkward silence had been some sort of romantic misunderstanding). She then moved her wheelchair so that she was sitting next to Suzaku. "You'd better everything."

Suzaku was in half a mind to say no, but Nunnally had managed to pick up the subtle tricks of command from her brother. So Suzaku did, relating his experiences from his awakening to the current day. Whilst everyone found it interesting that Suzaku's last location as Kallen's and Nunnally's (the day after Lelouch had died), what was more interesting was the fact that Suzaku had woken up not on the day of Shinjuku, but the day after Narita. Everyone wondered why that was the case, but it seemed clear that Suzaku didn't know.

"There's one thing I would like to know," Kallen said at the end of Suazku's tale, leaning into the table. "Why were you trying to kill Lelouch?"

Suzaku felt the glares of everyone in the room, and looked slightly abashed. "I thought…that if I was able to take out Lelouch, the Black Knights would collapse, and all this fighting would end" he said. Seeing the looks of disbelief and exasperation around him, he burst out in frustration "Look, I had no choice! Nunnally, you know this! The only way to beat someone like Lelouch is to stoop down to his level!"

"Really?" Kallen said, her face slowly becoming flush with fury, "Is that what you were doing when you threatened to inject me with Refrain?"

"What?" Lelouch and Nunnally said at the same time; Nunnally's had a look of horror on her face, Lelouch had one of fury.

"Well-I-" Suzaku sputtered, caught off guard by the sudden shift. "I-I was doing what needed to be done! I was doing what Lelouch would've done."

"Suzaku, I knew you had a low opinion of me" Lelouch said, his voice becoming angrier with every word, "but didn't know that it was _that_ low. I have done a lot of despicable things in my time, but I have never done _THAT_!"

"And besides, Refrain is a terrible choice for an interrogation drug. One hit, and the user is off in la-la land. There's no chance of getting anything useful out of them."

All heads turned towards to the head of the table, towards this new voice. It had come from a man that hadn't been there before. He wore a long black coat, a wide brimmed felt hat of the same color, a sword on his hip, and a mask was carved to resemble a skull; the color of the mask was the same deep black that defined the rest of the man's clothing, save the bridge, which was a violent shade of red, giving it an eerie similarity to the Geass sigil. This strange man seemed to give a relaxed air, but everyone instinctively knew that this man was dangerous.

"Who are you?" C.C said, asking the obvious question.

"I'm the man whose responsible for bringing you all back" the Geass Master said. "Now why don't we all be seated? I believe that we have a lot to discuss."

* * *

...And on that note, I'll end the chapter.

Thanks so much for reading! If you have any thoughts, be sure to leave a review! I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can, but I make no promises. All I can ask for is your feedback and your patience. Until next time!


	11. April Fool's Chapter

Welcome back everyone! Before we get back into it, just a few things

A/N: I own nothing, as always.

A/N 2: This is going to be a different chapter than what you may be used to, but I had a few things I wanted to try out with the Geass Master. Hopefully it all works out.

A/N 3: Has there been any development concerning R3? I'm a little out of the loop.

Alright, enough of the fluff. On with the story!

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Simple Conversations**

 _ **It's my right to go to Spain and fight in the Spanish Civil War**_ **– Haruki Murakami**

 _ **If I'm the one to throw you overboard / At least I showed you how to swim for shore**_ **– David Gilmour**

 _ **Life/ Is like a butterfly/ whatever that is**_ **– Nishiyama Soin**

 _ **On a ship the morals change as often as the ports**_ **– Franz Kafka**

It was an ordinary Monday morning, just like any other, when Karen burst into the Krusty Krab, and announced her undying love for SpongeBob SquarePants.

There was a stunned silence, as this announcement was completely unexpected. But before anyone was able to ask any questions, like where was Plankton (as he hadn't been seen in about a week or two), Sandy Cheeks rose from her table and told the computer, in her particular vernacular that she had brought from the 28th state of the United States, that SpongeBob was hers and any attempt to take him would result in a swift response that would be delivered through the ancient Asian arts known as "karate". Karen had refused to take that as an answer, thus challenging Sandy for her claim.

News of this challenge spread wide and far of these claims, and soon enough others began to claim their position as SpongeBob 's consort. In order to keep the peace, it was decided that a great tourney would be needed who would get the right to wed Mr. Squarepants. An impartial group, the White Lotus Society, would serve as the primary judges. The secondary judges would consist of Barty Crouch Sr., Hercule Satan, Tyrion Lannister, and Prince Namor of Atlantis, respected martial and legal minds that they were. And the tourney was to be held in the Bikini Bottom Stadium; it was not the first choice for a venue, but the Dragonpit was currently undergoing renovations, and the Martial Arts Temple was in state to be used as Son Goku had destroyed it during the Tenkaichi Budokai. Again. The tourney was hailed as a great event, "one for the ages", and it was treated as such. Tens of thousands came from all over; they came by bus, the came by boat, they came by planes. A group of determined individuals actually biked to the tourney on a fleet of penny farthings. Many notable personas were in attendance: The king of Westoros, Robert Baratheon, was amongst the crowd. Godzilla and Mothra decided to come as spectators, as did Eragon Shadeslayer and Harry Potter. Dignitaries from kingdoms such as Wakanda, Gondor, and Apokolips were all there, in addition to the common folks who came to see a once in a lifetime event.

The tourney began at 8 am, when all the participants gathered in the stadium. One hundred suitors signed up for this great tournament; men, women, robots, and bears from all over the sea, the land, and everywhere in between had come to compete. Because of the sheer size of contestants, the judges decreed that a melee was needed to shorten down the number of contestants. All participants were to participate a giant fight; only the last sixteen were to mover on the final round. An intense and brutal fight ensued, filled with amazing feats of strength and prowess. Notable highlights would include when Ser Loras Tyrell put out of commission by a stab through the back of his arm by Ultron (who was then taken out by Diana Prince, commonly known as Wonder Woman) and when Izuku Midoriya and Brienne of Tarth managed to achieve a double knockout, both falling to ground at the same time. Twice was the fighting paused as two contestants (Caesar Clown, participating under the name "Gastino", and Dr. Johnathan Crane, commonly known as "the Scarecrow") were removed for the use of chemical weapons. It was a grand and vicious fight that had never been seen before; but after five hours, the melee was over and there were sixteen fighters left: Sandy Cheeks, Karen Plankton (who was keeping her married name despite her apparent departure from her husband Sheldon Plankton, who was still missing), Jason Todd (commonly known as "Red Hood"), Toph Beifong, Shego, Jean Grey (commonly known as "Phoenix"), Ser Alliser Thorne, Luna Lovegood, Reiju Vinsmoke, Ty Lee, Doreen Allene Green (commonly known as "Squirrel Girl"), Lucas Trent (commonly known as "Midnighter"), C.C, Shinichiro Tamaki, the Terrible Tornado, Wade Wilson (commonly known as "Deadpool"), Craig Hollis (commonly known as "Mister Immortal"), and Khalifa of the Cipher No. 9.

These sixteen suitors were set forth a series of tasks and competitions that would determine who would be the best suited to gain the hand of SpongeBob SquarePants. The first task was a foot race around the stadium, which took up the better part of an hour as the various competitors pulled out every trick that they all knew in order to see to it that others did not complete the race. It was finally won by Deadpool, who achieved victory by cutting off his own hand and throwing it across the finish line as one of his legs had been trapped by Toph in a coating of rock, who was had been fending off an attack from Luna's Reducto curse, who also had to contend with "Soap Sheep" attack from Khalifa. The second test was a speed painting contest, where the participants had five minutes to paint the best landscapes they could with five colors of oils and acrylic crayons. The clear winner of this portion was Throne, who demonstrated a skill for the arts that no one would've thought he possessed. The third contest was a contest to make the best meal possible, with Patrick Star, SpongeBob's best friend, as the special judge for this section. Each contestant presented Patrick with their meal, which he ate in their entirety; not a crumb was left. Patrick then sat there for four minutes and twenty-six seconds before announcing Toph's rock salad as the winner. There was no explanation given for this decision, as he then fell asleep afterwards, and nothing could wake him up; not slaps, not pokes, not shakes, not pokes with swords, not buckets of water, not even a blast from an industrial air horn could rouse him. As the hot summer's day waxed on, so the contests, from hedge trimming (won by Sandy) to speed piano playing (won by Squirrel Girl) to Romantic British Literature trivia (tied between Karen and Ty Lee).

Finally, with the daylight running out, it was decided that the ultimate victor would be decided in a tournament style fighting system. A bracket would be developed, and the suitors would fight it out through a series of duels. Eventually, there would only be two left and the victor of that fight would be the one to gain SpongeBob's hand in marriage.

Just before the bracket was announced, a messenger stumbled into the stadium with a note pinned to his back with a knife. The message, which was from Dr. Victor von Doom, Gollum (the evil one), Nosferatu, Tetsuo Shima, Donquixote Doflamingo, and Tom Riddle (commonly known as Lord Voldemort), claimed that they had kidnapped SpongeBob when he had gone out to check on his pet snail Gary and taken him to Mordor, replacing him with an animated piñata. These villains (who had organized themselves in to an organization known as the Coalition of United Nefarious Tyrants) demanded that they must get 1200 packs of Diet Grape Fanta, a reboot of the 2011 NBC series _The Cape_ , a year's supply of Hot Pockets, and a microwave to heat said Hot Pockets within 48 hours in order to ensure the safe return of SpongeBob.

Needless to say, this caused quite the uproar amongst the spectators in the Bikini Bottom Stadium. But it also caused the sixteen suitors to put aside their differences and bond so that they could rescue the fry cook of the Krusty Krab. And with the tourney temporarily postponed, they rode out to the fell fortress of Mordor.

And the world would never be the same.

* * *

a/n: April Fools! (If you hadn't figured it out by now). Thank you so much for putting up with this and being good sports. I promise the story will continue with the next chapter.

a/n 2: Believe it or not, this story idea has been kicking around my head for a while. A part of me wants to take this concept and develop it into a full story, whilst another part tells me that no one would actually read it. Then both of these parts get a copy of _A People's History of the United States_ thrown at them by a different parts of me that tells me to get the (actual) next chapter of this story done.

a/n 3: Seriously though, who would win in a foot race? And what is going with R3?

Thanks for reading guys. Until next time!


	12. Chapter 10: Simple Conversations

...And welcome back everyone! Before we get started, a few simple things:

A/N: Barring all O.C, I own nothing

A/N 2: Thanks to everyone who went along with my April Fool's chapter. To make it up to you guys, I've included a deleted scene at the bottom of the chapter.

A/N 3: I actually considered writing this chapter in script form (i.e like a play), but I was halfway done with this when the idea occurred to me. I might to that for a later chapter however.

Alright, enough with the fluff! On with the story!

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Simple Conversations**

 _ **There is only one reality**_ **– Haruki Murakami**

 _ **You are right from your side, I am right from mine**_ **– Bob Dylan**

 _ **The world is like a Mask dancing. If you want to see it well, you do not stand in one place**_ **– Chinua Achebe**

 _ **Negotiating has to do with persuading while making sure that the other side feels good about the outcome…The problem with win-lose negotiations is that the loser tries to get even. He may not get you today or tomorrow, but he'll get even at some point**_ **\- John Capela**

"What do you mean you sent us back?" Lelouch asked, his mind reeling in shock and confusion.

"Exactly that" the Geass Master replied. "I am the one who sent everyone back in time."

Whatever arguments had been previously taking place had been completely forgotten; all attention was focused on this strange man who seemed to appear out of nowhere. And that attention was saddled by a lot of questions. "How?" Suzaku asked, being the first one who managed to formulate the question in his mind.

"The same way that Lelouch is able to make the strongest will into a whimpering slave, Rollo freeze the fastest man in his tracks, and Mao learn the most clandestine man's secrets. _Geass_."

"But how?" Suzaku said. "Based on what I know, Geass is a primarily _mental_ power. Anything Geass affects is based on how people think, behave, and perceive."

"You're right about that" the Geass Master replied. "However, your understanding of what that entails is… severely limited."

"Alright, so you sent us back" Nunnally said. "Why?"

"Why?" the Geass Master said, turning his head towards her. "Because I thought it would be amusing"

"Amusing?" Kallen said, stunned by the callousness of the answer. "You simply did this for a laugh? These are our lives you're dealing with!"

"Which I'm sure is all so very important to you. However, when you reach my age, you stop caring about what happens exactly to children like you all."

"Children?" C.C said. "I'm nearly 900 years old."

"Congratulations! That makes you less than half my age."

"Alright, so you've sent us back for a laugh" Lelouch said, refocusing the conversation in hopes of getting more answers. "Why are you making yourself known _now_?"

"Excellent, now we're getting somewhere." The Geass Master focused on Lelouch and took on an air of seriousness. "I'm here to keep to you on track for things to come."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, with the timeline being reset, other things have made their way into this world. Mainly, Ragnarok. Now, I know that most of you know what a serious issue it is. But judging by the argument that was raging when I walked in, you may have lost sight of that. So, I'm here to 'right the ship', so to speak."

"Wait" C.C said, her tone mixed with nervousness and curiosity, " _Who_ are you? Why should we be listening to you?"

The Geass Master took a moment to consider this. "Pardon me" he said. "I don't believe I've introduced myself. For all intents and purposes, I am known as 'The Geass Master'. And you can say I am responsible for _all_ of this."

"What do you mean?" Nunnally asked.

"Well, I was the one who brought Geass into this mortal realm. Every Geass User, as well as the Code users, can trace their gifts back to me."

"Wait, so you gave C.C her code?" Kallen asked, unable to keep the question in.

"No. C.C got her code from a nun who was once a whore; she got it from a madam who was a dancing girl, who got it from a lute player who was once a sergeant at arms, who got it from his general, who got it from _me_. Like I said, I've lived a long time."

"Wait, you gave this general his Geass _and_ his Code?" Lelouch asked.

"No. You all know that every Geass user eventually loses control of their power, whatever it may be. What you don't know is that if a user with a runaway Geass lives long enough, the Geass will crystalize into a code on its own terms. But enough of these pointless questions" the Geass Master said, shifting the subject suddenly. "I didn't come here to discuss the ins and outs of Geasses. I'm here to talk about Ragnarok."

Lelouch, Suzaku, and C.C all felt their faces drop in horror as those words were spoken. However, all Nunnally and Kallen felt was just confusion. "Ragnarok?" asked Nunnally. "What do you mean by Ragnarok?"

"Ah, you'll have to ask your big brother about that" Geass Master responded, rising out of his chair. "I'm just here to get you back on track to what needs to be done. _How_ you get it done, I'll leave to your discretion."

"Wait" Lelouch said. "What would happen were we to…get off track again?"

"Well that would be unfortunate. But, if it is needed, what I'll be in touch. Granted, I won't need to come if such a thing happens. I'll just do _this_."

And with that, he snapped his fingers and pointed at C.C. All eyes turned towards her, and immediately noticed that her eyes had suddenly turned black. She then spoke with the Geass Master's voice, saying "A nifty way to keep tabs on all of you, don't you think?"

"Then why didn't you do this?" Nunnally asked.

"Simple" said the Geass Master. "I thought it would be best if you had a face to associate with my voice. And I figured you all could do with a shock."

And with that, he was gone.

"Wait! Where did he go?" Suzaku said, looking around the room.

"How did he leave?" Kallen asked.

"Probably the same way he came in" Lelouch said, recovering the quickest. "Look, we need to we to figure out the implications of all this."

"Before we get into that," Nunnally said, "What was this 'Ragnarok'" that the Geass of Master was talking about?"

Lelouch looked towards Suzaku and C.C, who looked at him. Sighing deeply, he briefly closed his eyes. This was going to be a difficult one to explain.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

As the Geass Master entered back into the Sword of Akasha, a slight snicker emanated behind him. Turning, he saw that the Dimension Supervisor was looking at him with a small smirk on her face.

"What are you smiling at?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing" she said. "Just admiring the ease with which you lie. Like that story about the code; we _both_ know that lute player was only ever a lute player. For someone who cares so much about the precious characters, you mislead them with a surprising deftness. How long do you think it will take them to figure out that at least half of what you told them were lies?"

"What matter is it to you? It's no concern what the truth is, only what they _think_ the truth is. And if you're so worried about them being misled, then you only have yourself to blame."  
"What do you mean by that?"

"If you hadn't sent back Suzaku, there wouldn't have been a need for me to enter the fray."

" _Enter the fray_? The way you talk, you make it sound like you just walked into a war zone."

"With the amount of hostility that was flying around the room, it might as well have been. But never mind that. Why _did_ you send back Suzaku?"

"Honestly?" the Dimension Master said. "It looked like fun. You've sent two people back and the gods sent a third, so I decided to get in on the action. And I knew that sending back another person would irk you greatly."

"Well, at least you managed to get one thing right. That did irk me _greatly_."

"And why was that? Because your precious drama got disrupted yet again?"

"No. I'm irked because with each person that gets sent back, we lose more control over the situation. And that greatly diminishes our power to act in the case that crisis happens."

 _The Geass Master has a point_

Both the Geass Master and the Dimension Supervisor looked up. Apparently, the gods had decided to get involved with the conversation; and by the sound of their voices, it seemed they themselves were getting tired of the bickering.

 _The more men and women that are sent back, the more problems arise. They will inevitably have their own agendas, and these agendas will eventually clash; both with the others and with ours. At a certain point, all we can do is let the matter unfold as it will._

"Agreed" the two immortal beings said.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ashford Academy always seemed to be busy in the afternoon. Even after the classes had ended, students seemed to buzz around the campus, be they attending clubs, studying, or just hanging out with their friends. As the weather was getting warmer and the semester was coming to an end, the campus had a strange air of laziness mixed with anxiety, as the students either were trying to enjoy the weather, or they were frantically worrying about the various exams and papers that were coming up upon them. This year, the air had an extra tinge of nervousness, as Area 11 was becoming increasingly wracked with conflict. Despite the administration, the student council, and the Empire all trying to assure everyone that there was nothing to worry about, many still felt worried and it made its way into the popular subconscious of Ashford Academy. It only manifested in small ways, like a nervously told joke or a reluctance to make plans. But these worries were below the surface today, for the sun was out after a series of particularly gloomy days. And with that came the student body of Ashford Academy trying to enjoy a positive day for a change.

It was this scene that Lelouch was looking over when he gazed out beyond the balcony upon which he stood. He had just come out of explaining the Ragnarok to Nunnally and Kallen, albeit a few details that he felt they didn't really need to know, or at the very least _shouldn't_ know. Both had received it with silent shock; it was a lot to process, but with everything that the two had seen, both in this timeline and the previous one, Lelouch was confident that they would be able to move forward relatively quick. Lelouch himself was on this balcony trying to process some of the other things he had learned in the past few hours. The enigma that was the Geass Master was the one for troubling him the most. Whoever he was, it was clear that the Geass Master was a very old and very powerful. It was clear that he had a vested interest in seeing Ragnarok undone. It was also clear that despite his power, he was unable to do much about it; otherwise, he wouldn't have to Lelouch and company to break up the fight that had been about to break out. Whatever was happening, it was moving quickly, and he would need to prepare for several things that he had thought he wouldn't have to worry about for at least year now.

As he heard footsteps behind, he knew that the other development he hadn't prepared for would need to be dealt with now. Turning around, he saw Suzaku coming towards him. _At least he's not looking to kill me this time_ he thought. Suzaku, doing his best to ignore Lelouch's gaze, walked to edge of the balcony and looked onto the scene that Lelouch had been gazing at. After a few seconds he said "I never really had a chance to appreciate how pretty Ashford Academy is."

"It really is a pleasant sight" Lelouch said, playing along with the line of conversation. He knew that Suzaku would get to the point of his visit soon enough.

"At first I was too nervous about my new surroundings to take it in" Suzaku continued. "Then I was too focused on the tasks that were at hand. But having been sent back in time, I've found myself appreciating things that I took for granted once."

"I know what you mean. I've been doing the same thing myself."

Suzaku was silent for several seconds, letting the breeze be the only sound between them, before sighing deeply and saying "I'm sorry for trying to kill you."

"I accept your apology" Lelouch said. He had decided to forgive Suzaku for trying to kill him; after all this wasn't the first time that he had tried to do so, and he had even succeeded at the very end of the previous timeline. In any case, Lelouch had always thought of Suzaku as one of the few true friends he had and felt that he could be a very good asset. As such, he had been doing as much as he good to avoid antagonizing him.

"What are you trying to do this timeline?" Suzaku asked.

"I'm doing what you had asked me to do: I'm trying to make my lies truths." And that in itself was true. The Black Knights this time around were focusing just as much on the various criminals and mob bosses as they were on the Britannian military. The Black Knights had now truly become a force for justice.

"Does that include the lies you told me about Euphie and her death?" Lelouch sighed at that question. Suzaku had always doubted Lelouch's version of the events at the SAZ, no matter how many times Lelouch had claimed that it had been his plan all along. He had never told the truth to Suzaku in the previous timeline, and he saw no reason to change that this time around.

"No. This time around, Euphie will to see the SAZ come to fruition."

"That still doesn't explain why you actually did it."

"Does it matter now? I realize that it was a mistake, and I don't plan to make it twice. I have every intention of letting you and Euphie ride off into the sunset, but I'm not the person you need to worry about. The Emperor is."

"I don't think that the Emperor will be able to complete Ragnarok so –"

"It's not just Ragnarok I'm talking about. I'm talking about possible actions at the SAZ. Do you remember my game against Schniezel in China?"

Suzaku struggled to pull up the memory as he adjusted to the sudden shift in the conversation. A lot was happening that night, so it was a little unclear. "Think back to right before Nina attack me" Lelouch prompted, at which point Suzaku remembered. "Schniezel had set himself for defeat by exposing his king" Suzaku said, "but you refused to take it."

"That was because of what it meant at the time" Lelouch said, and for the first time, Suzaku looked at Lelouch. His oldest friend and his greatest enemy had his eyes closed in a look of bitterness and regret. "It meant that it was the only victory I could achieve, and the only way I could achieve it was because it was offered to me. We now find ourselves in a similar situation; only now, the Black Knights and Japan are now in Schniezel's position, and the Emperor now finds himself in mine. Consider what type of man Charles zi Britannia is. This is a man who religiously espouses the creed and virtues of Social Darwinism, a man who begins funeral speeches with the phrase "All men are not created equal", a man who will happily cast aside his own children on the grounds that they are too weak to fit into his own twisted schemes. Do you really think he will happily take the king that was offered to him? Do you think he will be happy with a stalemate?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Whilst that conversation was going on, another was taking inside the Lamprouge's apartment. This one was between Kallen and Nunnally, who were coming to terms with the revelations of the Ragnarok project.

"You know, with everything that I've seen" Kallen said after a minute of silence, "I keep thinking that I won't be surprised by anything. And yet…"

"I know what you mean" Nunnally responded. "It has undeniably been a very weird time."

"What do you think of the explanation Lelouch and Suzaku gave us?" Kallen said.

"I believe they told us the truth"

"But…?"

"They're clearly holding onto something that they don't want us to know"

"Yeah, that sums up my thoughts on the matter" Kallen said with a sigh. _Why is it that Lelouch makes things harder for me to do my job?_ she couldn't help but think. Lelouch was her charge, her commander, and her boyfriend. His protection was one of her highest priorities. So why was it that he had to make things so hard for her?

"I know that Lelouch is trying to protect us" Nunnally said, "but the fact that he thinks that the way to do that is keeping secrets is perhaps the most annoying thing him."

Kallen nodded in agreement, then caught on to a single word that Nunnally said " _Protect_? Lelouch is trying to _protect_ me? He knows better than anyone that I can look after myself."

Nunnally smiled. "Trust me, I'm sure he does. But you have to understand something about Lelouch. We lost our mother at a very young age, and I myself have … my own vulnerabilities. On top of which, he managed to lose a lot of people he considered his friends in that past timeline, including yourself. Don't forget that you were captured at one point. As a result, Lelouch tends to feel very protective when he finds someone that he cares about. So when he's keeping secrets from you, me, Suzaku, or even C.C, that's just his way of trying to care for someone."

"I see…Wait, where is C.C?"

"She went off towards her room while Lelouch and Suzaku were explaining Ragnarok. I think the encounter with the Geass Master affected her worse than the rest of us."

"Well, she just got possessed by a man who claims to have vast power and was twice her age. Can you blame her?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Imperial Palace in Pendragon was everything that someone would assume it to be. The seat of the Britannian Emperors was vast and expansive, spanning nearly three times the size that Versailles was rumored to have been. The hallways were laden with a nearly obscene amount of art; it was the world's private largest collection of paintings and sculptures, their creators a veritable list of Britannia's finest. The throne room was said to be able to hold an audience of a thousand people; the Grand Ballroom could at least twice as many. Every room was designed to project a sense of power and control, that Britannia was stronger than any other nation now or in the past.

Yet the two conspirators, a man and a boy, did not meet in any room. They met in a small hallway, one of the ones that ran adjacent to one of the minor gardens. Both wore hooded cloaks to hide their identities. The man was disguised because if he was recognized it would draw unwanted attention to his plans. The boy was disguised because the larger world believed that he had been dead for over sixty years.

"How is the project progressing?" The man asked, his strict and authoritative voice being used as a fraction that people familiar with him would be used to.

"Slowly" the boy sighed, speaking with a voice that oozed calculation and danger. "The machine seems to keep being broken in various places. The machine has a sort of muscle memory that makes repairs somewhat easier, so we're trying to fix it, but it appears that we are moving at a far slower pace than we anticipated."

"I suppose it is to be expected in a matter like this" the man said. "We're are building a machine that the world has never seen before, and will never see _again_. It is only natural that the process would be subject to various snags and complications."

The boy agreed with a simple nod of his head. They walked in silence a little while longer when the man asked, "On the other matter in Area 11…Do you believe that you will be ready in time?"

"I believe that I am capable of pulling it off" the boy replied. "However, I do advise having troops on standby. Geass can be a very unpredictable power"

"Too true. Too true."

The pair then turned to another matter, continuing the conspiring that went on most of the night.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The curtain arose for the second act, where the young Sophie Faninal and her father await the arrival of the Rosenkaviler and his silver rose. While the two of them discussed the upcoming society wedding, Lelouch silently waited for a voice to speak through his earpiece, a voice that he never liked hearing. He honestly hoped that he and Kallen could attend something like this one of these free of anything involving the Black Knights. But this had been a last-minute affair (Kallen's stepmother had pawned the tickets off to them after her father had to go away for business suddenly), and with the time-frame he was operating on –

"Lulu, my dear" he heard Mao's voice say through the earpiece. "This is definitely on you. We could have very easily done this before or after the opera?"

 _Well, it's very hard to prove that two people are collaborating when the one of them never speaks. In any case, you've irritated me, so I figured this was a good way to punish you._

"Sticking me in with a crowd, not a bad effort. You should've tried a little harder though; practically everyone here is focused on either the music or the lyrics in some way or other, so it's not the unbearable cacophony you'd expect. Plus, I've now discovered how good opera is for tuning out thoughts. I've always used recordings of C.C, but this works as well. Why am I being punished anyways?"

 _You know why._

"Is it because I couldn't see the Geass Master coming? By the way, scary looking dude. I'm surprised you would get on his bad –"

 _Did you know about Suzaku_?

"…"

 _Did you know?_

"…I feel like there isn't a good answer to that question."

 _True enough. In any case, I didn't just ask you here just to torture you. Did you get the file?_

"Yes, I did. Seeing how these are profiles of those dick-less clods who currently hold control over the Chinese Federation, I'm guessing you want me to spy on them."

 _Close. I want you to kill them_.

"Huh, should've figured. You going to give me a reason why?"

 _You're my chief intelligence officer. And you can read my mind. So, you know what the current situation in China is at the moment, and you know what a problem it will become. Therefore, I am sending you over so that you could deal with the matter before it does. And before you considering objecting_ , _know that I will cut off C.C from her pizza, and there will a mountain of evidence that implicates you as the culprit_.

"No problem Z-man! I was actually halfway flattered that you'd assigned me to an assignment of this magnitude. When is my plane leaving?"

 _Tomorrow, at 0800_.

"Lovely. Now if you'll excuse me, I see the current Minister of Agriculture nearby with his wife. Excuse me while I go and wreck his marriage."

As Mao walked up to a stuffy noble and told him that he looked better than he had at the brothel last week, Lelouch removed his earpiece. Just then, he felt Kallen clasp his hand and rest her head upon his shoulder. Returning his attention to the stage, he saw that the Sophie and Octavian had entered an aria of finding their true love. _Soon, my love_ , he thought, holding her hand, _we'll be able to enjoy moments like this without any dark clouds in the background_.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Soon enough, the opera was over and the curtain fell. The audience gave the cast a standing ovation, and then proceeded to go their separate ways to their home. Soon enough, Lelouch had seen Kallen to her house and was now at his own house as well. Entering the apartments above the student council building, he was surprised to see Nunnally sitting at the table with her origami cranes, who had been clearly been waiting up for him. "Nunnally" he said, taking a seat next to her. "You should've gone to sleep by now."

"I know" Nunnally said with a sigh, "but we need to talk."

"About what?" Lelouch asked, picking up one of the paper birds and examining it before realizing it wasn't one of her usual cranes, but rather a disguised memo passed along from Jeremiah.

"About secrets" Nunnally responded, "and about the truth."

"What do you mean?"

"Did you know anything about the Geass Master?"

"No. Trust me, if I had even heard of the Geass Master, I would've tried to plan for him."

"I believe you. But you're asking me to trust you. And why should I trust you when you won't tell me the truth."

"Nunnally, I've never lied to you-"

"That's not the same thing. I believe you've never lied to me…in this timeline anyways. But you're still not telling me the truth. The _whole_ truth. I know you're still holding things back; there are still things you're not telling me."

"What do you mean?"

"I know that you're running missions behind my back. You seem to forget that I run the communications for the Black Knights. So, it strikes me as kind of funny when I watch the news and see that the Black Knights have conducted an operation that I have no memory of us conducting. It's not that the operations are anything major: a gangster here, a corrupt noble there. It's the fact that you're doing this behind my back that gets me. But none of that bothers me as much as the fact is that some of the _other_ secrets that you've been keeping. I don't doubt anything you've told me about Mother's murder or Ragnarok, but I can't help but feel like you're holding something back; like there's something you're not telling me."

Lelouch sighed before responding. "I apologize for the Black Knights operations; I promise that I'll brief you in the morning. As for the other matters…you're right. There is something that I'm not telling you. But believe me, it's only for your protection."

Nunnally slammed her fist on the table, angry that this was again the line of reasoning her brother was taking yet again. "Dammit Lelouch! What is it going to take you to realize that I'm no longer the weak little girl that needs protecting? I may be stuck in this chair, but this time I can see! Which means that I'm starting how many lies you've weaved around me for my 'protection'. What makes you think that the truth won't protect me any better?"

Lelouch chose his next words very carefully; it was very rare that his sister was this angry. "Nunnally, I'm sorry that you feel that way. I promise you that I will be as open as I can be. But as for what I'm keeping secret about Mother's death and Ragnarok won't help you or protect you. I honestly wish that I could forget what I know myself. Nunnally, if you believe nothing else I say, believe this: I only want you to be as safe and as happy as possible. And what I'm not telling you will only bring hurt you in more ways than you could imagine."

Nunnally nodded her head in understanding. The answer hadn't sated her curiosity, but she saw the desperate honesty in her brother's eyes and felt there could be no other course but to accept it. She was about to add something else, when a long yawn escaped her mouth. Before she had a chance to protest, Lelouch was wheeling her to her room and helping her into bed. He was about to leave when Nunnally grabbed his arm. "Big Brother" Nunnally said, trying to fight off sleep for a few minutes longer.

"What is it Nunnally?"

"I know that you're doing …everything you can to protect me. But know that I'm doing everything I can to…protect you as well."

"That's nice, Nunnally –"

"I no longer …have dreams about…Mom. Now they're…about…you."

Nunnally felt her brother's hand tighten around hers. "What do you mean?"

"I now see…you…on the parade float…"

Nunnally struggled to finish the thought, but she didn't have to. Soon enough, Lelouch had taken Nunnally into a warm embrace, something that she hadn't felt in a while. "I know that you're worried. But don't you worry; I promise you this: Even though I may go away from time to time, I will always come home to you."

Nunnally didn't say anything; she didn't need to. All she had to do was return the hug, which told Lelouch that she believed him. As she was laid back down, she said "Promise…that you'll…debrief me…tomorrow?"

Lelouch gave a sly smile. "Of course. Provided that you debrief me on the operations that _you've_ been running behind my back."

Nunnally smiled and replied "Fair…enough". _Of course he would know about those_ , she thought before drifting off into the happiest sleep she had had in some time.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Please close the door behind you, Euphemia"

Euphie did as her sister asked, cautiously curious at her tone. It had been a day since Cornelia had arrived back to the Viceroy's palace, released two days ahead of the launch of the SAZ as a measure of good faith by Zero. Her return had been a tense atmosphere, with everyone either expecting the Second Princess to arrive either some horrific condition or on the back of a bomb laden suicide Knightmare. But Cornelia had come back early that morning in her Gloucester unscathed, albeit a bit shaken. Euphie hadn't been able to see her sister then, as she had been going through various health tests and debriefings. Now it looked like they were going to talk; and from her tone, Euphemia knew that it wasn't going to be overly positive. Given that, she decided to respond with a serious tone of her own.

"What can I do for you, Viceroy?"

Cornelia blinked at the formality in her sister's voice, but recovered. "I'm not sure which one of us is the Viceroy now, but we can work that out later. I've been going over everything that's happened since I was captured, and we need to talk?"

"It is about the Special Administration Zone?"

"No, it isn't. In fact, you've proven yourself a more than capable administrator. This is by far the smoothest Area 11 has ran since it was conquered. A Special Administration Zone isn't the solution I would've come up with, but given everything you've been dealing with, I can't fault your choice. No, this is about your knight."

Euphemia clenched her fists; she knew where this was going. "Is this about his combat skills? Because I can assure you-"

"No, it's not that. I watched him spar against the Knight of Three earlier, you picked a really good one. And the arguments that you gave against any political objection that Guilford or Darlton could muster have been very sound. No, you know what this about."

Euphemia said nothing, only looked down and clenched his fists even tighter. Cornelia only had to look at her to know that her sister understood what this conversation was about. "Euphie" she said, "you know what you have to do."

"No."

"No?"

"No, I don't have to bre…do _that_."

"You have to. Could you imagine what would happen if news of your relationship broke? There are rumors already flying about suggesting that …. there are indecent… motivations surrounding his appointment."

"That's absurd. When he was appointed-"

"That doesn't matter. When this breaks, the nobles and the public will settle into one narrative or another, and it will be impossible to change their minds."

" _When_?"

"Yes, _When_. People here gossip, no matter what their rank, position, or ethnicity. And you're no great master of subtlety. You're not as bad I feared, but you're nowhere near where you need to operate on the level that the Imperial politics operate on. It's best to break things off as soon before things go to far."

"Are you telling me this as my sister? Or as the Witch of Britannia, lapdog of the Emperor?"

Cornelia felt her own fists clenching. Most days, she could tolerate her nickname; today, it particularly stung. "I'm telling you this as your sister. And the reason I became 'The Witch' is also the same reason I'm telling you to break up with your Knight: because I'm your sister. You weren't in the room when Father banished Lelouch. You didn't hear how cold and unforgiving he sounded. You know why that was? It was because Lelouch had the audacity to go and challenge the Emperor's wishes. That's what happens to anyone who goes against him. And make no mistake; as long you are a member of the royal family, you will have to go with him."

"What if I was thinking about… _removing_ myself from his influence?"

Cornelia stared at her sister for a few hard seconds before her eyes widened in realization. "No. _No_. You couldn't possibly be thinking about that."

"And why shouldn't I?"

"Euphie, please think about this seriously" Cornelia said pleadingly. "Do you remember the story of the Donquixote family?"

"The one about the nobles who gave up their title and were then torn to shreds by an angry mob? You really going to use Guinevere's worst bedtime story?"

"Look whatever our sister's… _objectionable_ views on the lower classes are, the story still holds an important point: Nobility has often had a very antagonistic relationship with numbers and commoners. If you forsake your nobility, there is no guarantee that you would go into the general population and be safe."

"I'll have my knight with me"

"Would you really? I don't know what he tells you, but he could be using you to further on his own position within the government." Cornelia would've kept with this vein, but she then noticed the fury building in Euphemia's eyes. She then decided to shift tactics to avoid an outburst. "Look, let's say your knight does stick by you when you leave. But how well will your policies hold up when you're gone? I'll do what I can, but I'm not sure how long I can uphold things like the SAZ. In any case, it is very possible that I am called away to deal with a military issue somewhere in a different Area. As such, the Emperor would name a new Viceroy in my place; most likely one with a… _traditional_ view on how nobility, commoners, and numbers interact. Whatever progress you've think you've made could be undone in an instant. Am I clear?"

Euphemia nodded, looking down at her lap. Cornelia could tell that her message had gotten through, but she could also tell that it wasn't easy to digest. "Look Euphie" she said in a mollifying tone, "I'm not telling you to do everything right now; I understand that this isn't what you want to hear. But as head of the li Britannia line and your sister, it's my duty to tell you this before this gets too out of hand and you get seriously hurt."

"Thank you for telling me. If you please excuse me, Madam Viceroy, I must attend to matters in preparation for the launch of the Special Administration Zone."

As Euphemia walked out of the door without a look behind her, Cornelia couldn't help but feel that her first conversation with her sister upon her return had resulted in her alienation. _Is it any wonder we keep killing each other when we're so bad at talking to each other?_ she thought as she sank back into her chair.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The atmosphere around the launch of the Special Administration Zone was one of a cautious jubilation. Those in attendance were hopeful; hopeful that the program did it would it said it would do. The Japanese in attendance didn't want much. All they wanted was the ability their dignity as Japanese returned to them; to not be labelled as "Elevens" and treated as dogs. The SAZ was their opportunity for that, and many took to it with enthusiasm. This was certainly the best chance that would probably ever come in their lifetime.

One of the few Japanese attendees who was not enjoying this momentous occasion was Suzaku Kururugi. This wasn't because he disagreed with the event. It was because his liege and beloved, Euphemia li Britannia, was requesting to speak with Zero. Alone.

"Your Grace, I still don't think that this is a good idea" he said as they approached the meeting room.

"Your objection is noted" the Third Princess said in a somber and professional tone, avoiding her knight's eye.

"I'm personally fine with Suzaku attending this talk" Zero said.

"I appreciate that" Euphemia said, "but this needs to be done between Zero and myself. _Alone_."

Suzaku nodded and stopped at the door, letting the two of them in before closing it behind them. _There's seems to be a distance between them_ Lelouch thought, noticing how the two of them were acting overly professional. But before he could dwell on it too much, Euphie said to him "Could you please take off your mask? I'd rather there be no more secrets between us."

Lelouch had to silently scoff at that statement. But he did comply, thankful that the contacts had come in just in time. He would avoid another massacre. No matter what.

He was brought back to the conversation at hand when Euphemia started talking. "Do you believe that this will solve anything?"

Lelouch looked at his half-sister, who seemed to be looking at her own reflection in the window. The last time they had done this, she had been full of a precious and naïve optimism. Now, her face was care-worn and nervous, anxious about the consequences of her choices. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I've…been doing some thinking about this. About the whole situation here. Will this actually solve anything?"

"I'm not sure. No matter what solution is put forward, someone is going to disagree and try to undermine it. But the fact that you were willing to actually give this a try suggests that there may be hope for the future."

"But how long will I be allowed to do this? How long can I keep pushing against what is expected of the Crown before our Father has me moved and replaced by with someone with a more conservative mindset?"

Lelouch knew how to respond; he had faced a similar issue when he was Emperor of Britannia. "The way for you do that is by creating safeguards now. But not in a way that it makes a big fuss; if people catch onto what you're doing. Create special regulations. Allow the changes you've made to seep silently throughout the populace. That way, should you go, your successor would find it near impossible to go back to the way things had been before, forcing them to continue what you began."

Euphie closed her eyes briefly, chuckling sadly. When she opened them again, there were tears welling up. "That's the rub, isn't it? In order to make sure that justice is done, I have to stay here as the Third Princess, Envoy of the Crown. But if I do that, I can't follow my heart." She sighed before continuing, "I'm in love with my knight, Suzaku. I love him with my whole heart. Whatever future I try to envision, I can't help but see him there by my side. But if I stay here as a princess, I'll never be able to continue our relationship without one of us, if not both, getting hurt. But if I give up my title, there's no guarantee he'll follow me." She turned to Lelouch, her eyes barely holding back the tears. "Tell me Lelouch, what should I do?"

Lelouch thought long and hard about his answer; matters of the heart had never been his strong suit. Finally settling on an answer, he moved to tell it. However, he had only opened his mouth when he collapsed to one knee, held his head in his hands, and gave out a primal scream of pain. "Lelouch!" Euphemia yelled as Suzaku burst through the door, expecting the worst. As Lelouch moved his head upwards and let out another scream of pain, Suzaku caught a glimpse of his eyes. They were not their usual violet, but black like…

 _like when the Geass Master had possessed C.C._

* * *

...and I'll leave it there for now.

a/n: Quick note on Mao. Originally, I wanted him to have a larger part in the story, but I just couldn't fit him in. He'll be back, but don't expect to see him for a while.

a/n 2: Speaking of things not fitting into the story, I had conceived this scene a while back (like when the first chapters were being published). It unfortunately couldn't make it's way into the story proper, but I liked the idea well enough that I decided to write it out and share it with you all. Enjoy:

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Good Evening, Princess" Zero said, walking into the room. He walked in wheeling a rolling cart, on top of which a phone had been placed.

"Good evening to you as well" Cornelia said, eying the phone with a mix of curiosity and confusion. She didn't ask him what it was for; she had a feeling that she would find out soon enough.

"As we were discussing the other night, I am very interested in the project titled 'Krozer'" Zero said, sitting down in the chair in front of the former Viceroy.

"If memory serves me correctly, I believe I told you that hell would freeze over before I told you anything about it."

"Why do you resist me on this, Cornelia? You've told me several pieces of information already, why hold out on this?"

"Maybe I thought it was too valuable to compromise" Cornelia said, leaning back in her chair. "Maybe I am tired of sharing the plans and workings of the Empire with you. Or maybe I've just decided to hold out on you, simply because I know that you want to know about it and this is the only satisfaction I can get whilst stuck in my cell here."

Zero only responded with a short sigh, and reached for the phone.

"Who are you calling?" Cornelia asked.

"You've forced my hand. I have no other choice" Zero said, dialing a number. He held the phone for a few seconds before saying "Yes it's me. She's not cooperating. Put her on." He then handed the phone to Cornelia. "Who is this?" she says, speaking into the phone.

"Nelly? Is that you?" a young voice responds.

"I am Cornelia li Britannia. Who is this?"

"Nelly, it's me Nunnally."

Cornelia felt herself go cold. "That can be."

"Nelly, it's me!"

"Tell me something only Nunnally would know. Tell me what we were doing on Founder's Day, the year before Empress Marianne died."

"It-It was a sunny day. Really warm outside. We were playing out in the garden of Aries Villa. Lelouch and Clovis were playing with a Frisbee, which nearly hit Euphie. That got you very mad, and you smacked Clovis because of it. Then you got us all lemon ices. They melted and got on our clothes, so Mother got very cross at you. But you told us that you didn't care, because the smiles on our faces were enough to brighten the darkest room."

"Nunna?" Cornelia said, the tears welling up in her eyes. "Nunna, is that really you?"

"Yes Nelly, it is."

"Nunna, where are you?"

"I-I don't know. Listen! You have to tell Zero what you know! If- If you don't… "  
"What Nunnally? What's going to happen?"

"He-He sa-said…. Ze-Ze-Zero sa-said…"  
"What? What did he say?"

Suddenly the line went dead. Turning towards the masked man, Cornelia saw that he had pushed down on the receiver. "What did you tell that poor girl?" she asked with a snarl, desperately trying to keep her anger and her fear at bay.

"Oh, nothing too terrible" Zero said, a smirk creeping through his voice. "I simply told her that if you didn't tell me what I needed to know, I would have to take a brother on a trip. A long trip. One from which he may not return."

"You bastard" Cornelia responded. "YOU BASTARD!" You think that I'm going to let you –"

"Ah" Zero interrupted, holding up a finger for silence. "If you really mean that, you'll tell me about Krozer. Because doing that will allow me to move on to the next stage of my plans. So, by all means, gnash your teeth and snarl till your throat runs dry. But keep in mind that I have two vi Britannians at the moment, which makes them somewhat expendable at the moment. You have a choice before you: Do you tell me about Krozer? Or does the poor girl in a wheelchair have to sit around and wonder when her big brother will return home?"

Sitting back, Zero looked at the Princess's face. She was desperately trying to keep up an angry face, but he could see the fear bleeding through. It would only be a matter of seconds before she broke and told him everything. Lelouch felt his grin widen underneath his mask. He would really have to thank Nunnally; her acting skills, and her deviousness, had increased exponentially over the course of the past few months.

xxxxxxxxx

Now there are a few reasons why this didn't make the final cut; the primary one being that I couldn't figure out what I wanted "Krozer" to be about (it was originally going to something involving the SAZ, but I ditched that idea). Nevertheless, I liked the idea and it felt similar to what was going on in this chapter, so that's why I put it here (in addition to giving you guys something for putting up with the prank chapter last time).

Well, that's all I got for now. See you all at the next chapter!


	13. Chapter 11: DBTDS (Begin the Beguine)

Hey Everyone. Before we get started, a few notes:

A/N: I'm sorry this took so long to get out. Between graduating college, searching for a job, interviews, and a rather impromptu trip to D.C (and all the emotions that come with these things), things have been rather hectic for TWA.

A/N 2: I own nothing.

A/N 3: _Disney Girls_ is the best Beach Boys song that was recorded _after_ Brian Wilson left the band. I'm just putting that out there.

Alright, enough of all this. Let's get to it! On with the story!

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Dance Beneath the Diamond Sky (Part 1: Begin the Beguine)**

 _ **After changes upon changes, we are more or less the same**_ **– Simon & Garfunkel**

 _ **What cannot be imitated perfect must die**_ **– Bob Dylan**

Suzaku was stunned he took in the scene: On his knees, writhing in pain with his hands clasped to his head, was his friend Lelouch. His eyes were black, like when the Geass Master had possessed C.C, but it made no sense. Why would the Geass Master possess Lelouch now? And why would he make it say so painful, when C.C's had been practically seamless?

Lelouch snapped him out of his thoughts by speaking, though not in his own voice. " _Kill…every…_ " were the words that were forced through his mouth, as if someone else was trying ram it through his throat. But the words suddenly stopped, and Lelouch's eyes turned back to purple. "Get out of her out of here!" he yelled. "Get out while I can still control myself!"

Suzaku didn't need any further prompting. He grabbed Euphie, who was blubbering in confusion at this sudden turn in events. All the while, his mind was reeling, asking the same question over and over: _What was going on?_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Oddly enough, the Geass Master was just as stunned as everyone else. Looking at the scene, various explanations were running through his head, trying to figure out what was happening. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw the Dimension Supervisor, who said "What is happening?" in a horrified and shocked tone.

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck him and he shifted his view away from the scene, looking for the someone he had almost completely forgotten about. He found V.V in the Sword of Akasha, sitting in a chair with similarly blacked eyes and a mask of concentration as several Directorate members looked upon him. Realizing what was happening, the Geass Master attempted to enter his mind, only to find himself blocked off. He tried for about a minute or so before realizing that he couldn't enter the mind of someone who was possessing someone else. _Good to know_ he thought as he tried to work out an alternative plan of attack. He decided to possess one of the Directorate members who was standing around, a male about fourteen years old. Once in control, he proceeded to draw the gun holstered to the boy's side and fire every bullet into V.V's head. The Geass Master knew that it wouldn't kill him, but he knew that it would break him out of the trance state as well as scramble his memories a bit. He knew this for certain for someone had just fired a gun at the boy he was possessing, and as such he felt the bullets tearing him apart. The Geass Master fell to the floor in the Sword of Akasha clutching his chest, snapped out of his trance. Panting, he looked up to see the Dimension Supervisor with a scared look on her face. "Don't worry" he said, picking himself up. "It's certainly not pleasant, but I'll recover"

"I'm not worried about you" the Dimensional Supervisor said with a scoff. "I'm worried about the fact that now the Directorate, as well as the Emperor, will now of our existence."

"It was going to happen at a certain point. I was actually surprised he managed to go through the entire Ragnarok scheme the first time and not realize we were here. In any case, it should make things somewhat interesting in the days to come."

"I'm glad you're enjoying this, because your protagonists may not make it out of tonight alive." The Dimension Supervisor then shifted the view back to the SAZ. The Geass Master got up and looked, then winced. Things were turning ugly.

Xxxxxxxxx

What had started as a night of quiet jubilation and hope had descended into chaos. Upon later reflection, no one could pinpoint when the actual violence had started; one minute it had been calm, the next it had become a battlefield. For Kallen, however, she could pinpoint the exact moment it had all gone wrong. It was 6:15, when a call had come in from K-2, saying that she was getting reports about some sort of attack on the SAZ. Worried about the frantic voice coming through the radio, Kallen grabbed a set of binoculars and began to look over the scene. She quickly saw the battle unfolding before her eyes, as sounds of gunfire were just reaching their ears. Alarm quickly spread through her body, her memory of Lelouch's warning ringing through her ears. Her first instinct was to get to her Guren and enact her commander's orders, but a sense of something wrong stopped her and kept her in place. She kept looking over the scenes of violence before noticing what was off. Her realization was then articulated by Todoh, who was looking over the scene in a similar way.

" _Chikusho_!" Todoh swore, "they're all wearing Black Knights uniforms!"

As this information was disseminated through the troops hidden in the forest, Kallen quickly had an idea on how to proceed. Grabbing a cannister of grey spray paint that had been lying about, she quickly sprayed on her Knightmare the first kanji that came to her mind, a 本. Tossing the paint can to the nearest person, she jumped into her Guren and sped off into towards the battle.

Quickly moving into the desolated SAZ, she immediately found a fake Black Knight Knightmare and engaged it. She lost track of time after that. Knightmare after Knightmare seemed to attack her, and she fought them off one by one. At some point, she noticed that the other Black Knights had joined in her battle, each of them with a grey 本 sprayed onto their Knightmare. Through her radio, she could hear snatches of the conversations between her comrades, like how certain Britannians had joined the fight on their side and where various civilians were to be evacuated to. But none of it really registered; submerged in her battle fever, all she could truly focus on was beating back the mindless killers and preventing another tragedy like had happened last time. She was snapped out of her reverie only when a voice through the radio said "Q-1! This is K-2! K-1 is wounded in the North-West sector and taking fire! Please get him out of here immediately!"

Kallen made her way to the co-ordinates sent to her, fearing the worst. Upon arriving, she saw Zero with several wounds, crouching behind what was left of a wall and trading fire with several Britannian soldiers. The Captain of the Zero Squad unleashed a savage battle cry and decimated the fake rebels, killing them all within the span of three minutes. She then picked up her bleeding commander and quickly sped away to the nearest evacuation point, silently praying her in her head _Please don't let him again. Please don't let him die again._

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Nunnally had never known that her brother looked so peaceful while he slept.

It had taken a substantial amount of work to get Lelouch admitted into a hospital. Thanks to a few well-placed calls by Jeremiah and some quick alterations to Lelouch's outfit by Kallen, they had been able to get him decent care without too many questions being asked. As far the doctors knew, Lelouch had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time and caught the wrong end of a gang fight. And they wouldn't need to worry about any further police investigations for two reasons: One was that Jeremiah had made sure that the cops involved on the case were either on the take or could be blackmailed should the need arise. The other was that Lelouch himself had gotten out with only minor injuries. All the doctors had done was give him a light sedative, a couple of bandages, and told Kallen and Nunnally that he needed to take it easy for a few days. As far as anyone was concerned, the matter was closed and finished.

Despite all this, Kallen still sat next the bed with the graveness of a statue. Her eyes bloodshot, she had been sitting there ever since they arrived and had barely said three words. The worry emanating from her was clear. _And who could blame her?_ Nunnally thought, sitting opposite of her.

"How could this happen?" Kallen whispered, snapping Nunnally out her train of thought.

"I don't know" Nunnally whispered back with a sigh. "Lelouch was at least prepared for the possibility. At least it's not like last time."

"What the hell do you mean 'not like last time'? At least the last time this happened, the Black Knights were able to rally the people around them! They weren't scapegoats for a senseless attack! And Lelouch wasn't hurt!"

"Diethard's currently spinning the story to our favor, and I believe – "

"How?"

"Well, he's taking various pieces – "

"No, not that. How the hell are you so calm? Your brother's on a hospital bed, the Black Knights are facing some of the worst opposition ever, everything that we've worked for is in jeopardy and you act like the only problem was a delayed train."

"You think you're the only one worried here?" Nunnally hissed, anger seeping through her voice. "It's taking everything for me to just sit here. Seeing Lelouch like this is already bringing back memories of that goddamn parade float, so maybe remember that you're not the only one who cares whether or not my brother is still alive."

"Could you please talk about anything else?" C.C said from the end of the room. "I've heard more frivolous arguments that I would care to remember in my years, but this has to rank up there. You both clearly love him, in your own special ways. Do you really think that the first thing he wants to see when he wakes up is the two most important people in his life arguing?"

Both Kallen and Nunnally spun towards the green haired witch, having completely forgotten that she was in the room. "C.C! You're-You're…" Kallen said with a shocked tone, desperately trying to cover up the fact that she had completely forgotten that C.C was there.

"You don't have a pizza!" Nunnally jumped in, trying to cover up her own surprise. "Really, you know how cranky you get when you don't have a slice."

"I ordered one a couple of minutes ago, it should be here shortly." C.C answered. "And nice try" she added with a smirk.

Just then Lelouch stirred, groaning as he raised his head to look at the room. "Are you alright?" both Kallen and Nunnally asked him in the same concerned voice.

"I'm fine" Lelouch said tiredly as he looked around him. "Only thing that hurts is my head. And my memory's a bit fuzzy as well."

"What's the last thing you remember?" a new voice asked. Everyone turned towards the door to see that Suzaku had come in, wearing his civilian clothes.

"Suzaku?" Nunnally said, surprised to see her old friend. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Euphie?"

"Wait," Lelouch interrupted, his voice tinged with concern. "Is Euphie alright?"

"Yes, Euphie's fine. She's actually outside with Cornelia. They both want a word with you, Lelouch."

Lelouch's eyes opened with alarm. "Are you sure they -?"

"Don't worry" Suzaku said, holding up his hands in a calming gesture. "They're here in disguise, and they only want to talk. I came in ahead to talk you off any edge and prepare you for their arrival."

"That's not the only reason you're here, is it?" C.C asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, it is not. I was wondering what happened to you back at the SAZ."

"Unfortunately, I'm not sure of what happened myself," Lelouch responded. "I was going to tell Euphie…Well, I was going to answer a question she asked me. Then, it felt like my head was being torn in half. The pain drove me to my knees and…I felt someone reach into my mind. They were filling me with all these…images of death and destruction. I then felt a voice being forced through my throat. I managed to refocus all my will on to getting rid of whatever was in my mind and then yell something at you, I don't remember what. Whatever was trying to possess me came back at me harder than before, and I struggled to throw it off a second time. I heard what something like gunshots and then I was on the floor, panting. Soon after, I heard more gunshots and knew that something had gone wrong. Looking out of the window confirmed that; place had turned into a war-zone. I staggered out of the room and grabbed a gun off one of the bodies that was in the hallway. I was able to send a message out to Nunnally where I was before I was pinned down in a gunfight, where Kallen found me."

"That's lines up with what both Kallen and I know from this whole fiasco" Nunnally said as Kallen nodded in agreement.

"And it lines up with what happened to me as well" Suzaku said with a sigh. "After I dragged Euphie out of the room, we were confronted by several odd-looking soldiers. They tried to force their way into the room, but I wouldn't let them. They tried to kill me and Euphie, but I was able to subdue them. We managed to get to the Lancelot and out of the SAZ to a place that Princess Cornelia had told me to get to once I told her that we had been attacked. But before I left, I had managed to snatch one of these off the soldiers that was trying to force their way into your room."

Suzaku then took a patch out of his pocket ant tossed it to Lelouch, who caught it and quickly looked it over. "OSI?" Lelouch asked, to which Suzaku responded with a nod. "Well that confirms, it" Lelouch said, putting down the patch, "the Emperor is definitely involved in this."

"There was one more thing," Suzaku said with a look of trepidation. "When you were collapsed on the floor, your eyes went black, like when the Geass Master possessed C.C"

The room absorbed this news in silence. "Do you think that the Geass Master is working with the Emperor?" Kallen said, thinking out loud.

"No, but you're not too far off" a familiar voice said. Everyone turned towards it but all they saw was C.C. Except it wasn't C.C as they usually knew her: instead of her usually airy manner, she had adopted a more serious and business-like attitude. And her eyes had turned pitch black, which could only mean…

"So, if it wasn't you who possessed me" Lelouch said, "then who did?"

"That would be V.V" the Geass Master replied. "He's been spending more time in the Sword of Akasha this time around, trying desperately his Ragnarok machine to work. In doing so, he has discovered a new power, one not too dissimilar than mine. He attempted to work that power over you tonight, but he wasn't prepared to take over your mind tonight."

"Wait, how would V.V know how to possess Lelouch?" Kallen asked, extremely alarmed.

"The Empire does keep an ear to the ground as it pertains to all its enemies. And that does include Zero. To someone who knows nothing about Geass, Zero's actions and methods may not reveal any discernable pattern. But to someone with that knowledge, they would be able to guess that Lelouch has a Geass, as well as its nature. Which is probably why V.V and the Emperor decided on this method of attack."

"Does that mean Emperor knows I'm Zero?" Lelouch asked with a concerned look in his eyes.

"Maybe. Whenever I possess a Geass user, I usually am able to see their memories. But given that V.V is a novice at this power and your own mental fortitude, he no doubt was struggling to stay inside your mind. He probably didn't have the concentration to notice any of your memories. That does not mean that they don't know. Even if V.V was unable to gleam your identity, the Empire has the Geass Directorate at its beck and call, which has members who could discern your identity should they desire. I've been protecting you the best I can, but I can't be everywhere at once and even my defenses have holes in them."  
"Wait, how are you protecting us?" Suzaku asked.

"Simple. I've discovered the power the ability to possess users centuries ago. During that time, I've strengthened it to the point where not only am I able to possess someone like C.C, but am also to exercise a Geass through the possessed as well."

"Like you've stopped the time in this room?" Nunnally asked. Everyone else, startled, turned towards the nearest clock to see that the hands on it had frozen.

"How did you know?" Lelouch asked, turning to his sister in with a look of confusion.

"I was wondering why Euphie and Cornelia hadn't come in yet. Plus, I felt a familiar tingling in my ears. I decided to check the clock and it hasn't moved since we began talking to the Geass Master."

"So that leaves one question" Kallen said, redirecting her focus back to the Geass Master " _Why_ are you helping us?"

"Simple" the Geass Master said, "It's because Lelouch needs to kill the Emperor and end the Ragnarok project."

"Why me?" Lelouch asked, "Why not do it yourself?"

"Believe me, I would love to. But there are forces that have power over the workings in this world. And one of them is the power of prophecy. Many years ago, before any of you were even born, a prophecy was made saying that a cruel emperor and his mad plans could only be stopped by a son that he had discarded and was adopted by the land that he had been exiled to. I myself have no real power to stop Charles zi Britannia or Ragnarok. I can delay them, but I cannot stop them. You, Lelouch, must be the one to stop him. But you mustn't rush to kill him right now. Right now, your fight against the Empire is about to reach an important crossroads. A lot is going to happen very quickly, so I'll leave you now to face the new reality. All I can do is give you a warning: _Brace Yourself._ "

And with that, the witch's eyes turned from black to gold and the clocks began ticking again, leaving the time travelers to ponder the meaning of the Geass Master's warning.

"Ah, I hate it when he does that," C.C groaned as she clutched her head. "It gives me such a headache. What did he say this time?"

"We'll tell you later. Right now, I think my siblings have waited outside long enough" Nunnally said as she motioned to Suzaku to get the li Britannias, speaking only as a reaction to C.C as she tried to comprehend the Geass Master's latest message. Meanwhile, Lelouch tried to understand the cryptic warning as well. 'Brace Yourself' could any number of things. Was it meant just for him? Or was it to the room at large? And what were they to prepare for? Did the Emperor have another move planned against them? Where they going to gain new enemies? What was going to happen next? What did he mean by 'Brace Yourself'?

One possible meaning that Lelouch hadn't considered came to fruition as his half-sister Euphemia hurried into the room and enveloped him a crushing hug. Straining to breathe, he could hear his other half-sister chuckle and say, "You may want to ease up on the hug, Euphie. Otherwise he might be here for another week or so."

Released from the gripping embrace, Lelouch got a look at Euphie and Cornelia. Euphie's hair was decidedly disheveled, and she was wearing civilian clothes that looked as if they had been put on in a hurry. Cornelia herself was dressed in a military outfit herself, but it was not her usual regal outfit. She had instead adopted an attire of a black jacket, grey shirt, and brown khakis, the outfit of an off-duty serviceman. "It's good to see you both" Lelouch said with a warm smile, "although I'm not sure that you needed to come and see me, given how trivial my injuries seem to be."

"Oh, I'm afraid that we needed to come and see you, _Zero_ " Cornelia replied. Smirking at the surprise on Lelouch's face, she continued "Euphie may have let…certain things slip on the way over here.

"I'm so sorry Lelouch!" Euphie said in a hurried panic "We were being chased and taking fire and then the Black Knight, the real ones, showed up and I-"

"Euphie, it's fine" Lelouch said with a sigh, holding up his hand a symbol of peace. "It's better that we all know where we all stand."

"If that's the case, can you explain who she is?" Cornelia asked in a semi-angry voice, pointing to C.C standing in the background.

"I'm C.C" the green haired witch responded.

"Do you have an actual name aside the one Clovis assigned you?"

"C.C was my name long before Clovis caught me."

"Look, before we get sidetracked" Lelouch interjected, "you said you needed to see me. What was that about?"

"Oh, that" Cornelia said, turning her attention back to Lelouch. "Euphie and I have decided to defect from Britannia."

"WHAT?" Nunnally, Kallen, and Lelouch said in unison, all of them caught off guard.

"You heard me right" Cornelia responded, smirking at the shock on their faces. "Right before all hell broke loose, my knights and I were attacked by OSI agents disguised as Black Knights. As we were fighting our way out, I realized that our father truly wanted us dead and that we were no longer safe. So, we decided to seek out the help of somebody who has managed evade the Empire for nearly a decade."

"I see," Lelouch said, his eyes clouded over in thought and analysis as he drank in what his half-sister had told him. "Did anyone decide to come with you?"

"Both of my knights are sticking with us, as is Euphie's knight" Cornelia responded, with something that suggested she was surprised at Suzaku's choice.

"Now it's your turn to answer some questions, Lelouch" Euphie said, looking at him with a mixture of determination and curiosity.

"Not now" Lelouch said, holding up his hand. "There's a lot I need to explain, and not just to you two. Kallen, please call Ohgi and have gather all the senior command of the Black Knights for a meeting. Nunnally, I need you to get Diethard, Rakshata, and the Kyoto group in for this meeting as well." Looking at the plethora of confused faces in front of him, he elaborated "I'm developing a plan for how to respond to what has happened tonight. And in order for it to work, we are going to need everyone on board."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Emperor couldn't recall the last the time he had seen V.V this agitated, as the immortal code-bearer was pacing around the Ragnarok machine that they had built. But then, he wasn't too happy himself. He had initially had come to …express his disapproval with how things had turned out during the SAZ debacle. But as he made his way into the Sword of Akasha, the scene unfolding along his walk began to unsettle him. Various Directorate members were running around, shouting directions at each other while the prepared for something they were clearly worried about. Even more troubling was the fact that a body had been wheeled away from. All of this, plus V.V's nervous disposition, gave the Emperor that something had gone had horribly wrong.

"There you are" V.V said, facing his brother. "I've been waiting for you for at least an hour."

"I've been a bit busy" the Emperor said with irritated sarcasm. "This whole thing has been a failure. Not only did your plan fail, but I lost several OSI agents and two of my children, with their knights, have decided to defect. Plus, a review of the bodycam footage shows that the whole thing was done extremely sloppily, so no doubt the Black Knights are going to use that against us."

"That's not important" V.V said dismissively.

"What has you so worried? Is it the dead kid I saw rolled out of here?"

"Rollo? No, although it's not unrelated." V.V took a breath before continuing. "I had a tough time controlling Lelouch. It was hard enough to get into his mind, and even then he was trying to fight me off. I could barely get anything from his memories, but there was something that I found out that we can't ignore."

"What?"

"I…I don't think that the Sword of Akasha is as …isolated as we thought."

Just then, the Ragnarok Machine exploded.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I'd like to thank everyone for coming" Zero said, taking a seat at the desk in the room. "I can imagine that you have some questions."

It had to have been one of the strangest collection of people to have ever been assembled in one place. On one side of the room, sat the most senior members of the Black Knights: Kallen, Ohgi, Tamaki, Inoue, Miniami, Sugiyama, Diethard, and Yoshida. Sitting next to them on the bench were the Todoh and his four Holy Knights. On the opposite was even more disparate group of people: Princesses Cornelia and Euphemia li Britannia, their knights, and the Kyoto group. At the end of the room, Lelouch, his helmet next to him, sat at the desk next to his sister Nunnally. On the other end, C.C stood next to the door in a languid pose, eating another pizza. Everyone was looking at each with suspicious eyes, but no one was put their feelings into words. This meeting was too important.

"But before we begin," Lelouch continued, "I would like to stress how important this meeting is. I know that we all come from a variety of backgrounds, and many of us have tried to kill each other at some point or another. But right now, we are all united against a common enemy: The 98th Emperor of Britannia, Charles zi Britannia. He is has proven himself an enemy of all of us, willing to use whatever means he can to further his own power. I believe that it is time for all of us to put aside our differences and work together. With that, I open the floor to discussion."

There was a moment of silence, as everyone tried to gather their thoughts. What was clear was that this meeting would be one of special importance. Eventually, someone did speak. And as per usual, it was Tamaki with a tactless remark.

"Wait, you've been a prince this whole time?" he blurted out.

"Ex-prince to be more precise. But yes" Lelouch, smiling sardonically at Tamaki

"Tamaki-san does raise an important point" Chiba said. "Given that there are now four members of the Imperial family here, how can we be sure that they won't betray us to the Empire?"

It was Kirihara who answered first. "I can speak to the loyalty of Zero and his sister to our cause, Lt. Chiba. I was with him when he first arrived in Japan. I know that they both were greatly hurt by the Empire, and they have held on to an anger for these past seven years."

"As for my dedication to this cause," Euphemia began, "I truly belief that working together to depose the Emperor is the best course of action. I spent months fighting an uphill battle to get a half-measure passed, only to have dashed by my father in an effort to kill me. The current system is too flawed to work; we need to tear it down. And to do that, we… we need to kill the Emperor."

There was a round of head-nodding in approval, before all eyes turned to Cornelia. "I'm afraid I don't have anything as selfless as that to justify why I'm fighting" she said with a sigh. "I've been fighting my father's wars for longer than I can remember, only to have idiotic nobles screw it up. I'm tired of how the Empire's being run, and I'm ready for a change. Besides, the Empire's trying to kill me. Self-survival is as good a reason to fight."

This response got a less enthusiastic response, but it was accepted since it was honest enough. The next question came from Ohgi, who asked "In this spirit, I would like to ask about a subject that you've been particularly tight-lipped about: C.C. She's been around us since the beginning, but none of us knows a thing about her. The only things we are aware of us is that she's loves pizza, is involved with Mao, and is practically indestructible. I feel like it's time that some things about her need to be explained."

"I'd like an explanation as well" Euphemia added. "She was a prisoner of Clovis, whom you apparently broke out. Then she's on the battlefield, completely wreaking havoc on with the pilots there. I don't how any of this is possible, so I'm hoping you could tell us how."

Lelouch looked at the room, which in turn was looking at him expectantly, before sighing. Then, in swift motion, grabbed a gun he was keeping in the desk and shot C.C in the face point blank. The room gasped and began to protest, but Lelouch held up his hand in a bid for silence. "Give her five seconds" he said, motioning to the slumped over body of C.C.

"It's actually _three_ seconds" C.C said sardonically, rising up as the room became filled with gasps of shock and awe. "And the next time you feel to demonstrate my powers, please let me know."

"Apologies C.C," Lelouch said. "But this is one of her two main powers: the ability to heal from any wound that may be inflicted upon her. It is how she is able to survive the battle of Narita, as well as her imprisonment by Clovis. It was also the reason for her captivity, as my late brother was obsessed with unlocking the secrets of immortality for himself."

"And what is the other main power?" Ohgi asked, raising the question that everyone was almost too scared to ask.

"The other power is to bestow a power upon someone: the power of Geass."

The entire room (save those who knew anything about the matter) looked at Zero with faces of confusion. "Could you please explain what a _Geass_ is exactly?" Kirihara asked hesitatingly.

"Different people tend to develop it differently" Lelouch said. "Mine developed into what I've heard classified as 'Absolute Obedience'".

"What does that mean?"

"Perhaps a demonstration is in order. Could I have a volunteer?"

Everyone looked around the room looking for a volunteer. Suddenly, a voice spoke up: "I'll do it"

Everyone looked to see it was Kallen who had volunteered. Lelouch swallowed nervously and beckoned her to the center of the room, silently praying that her immunity to his Geass hadn't carried over to this timeline. "Okay, I have to ask everyone to keep their eyes on Kallen" Lelouch said in a tone that hid his nervousness. And whatever you do, _don't_ look into my eyes. This power is ocular based, and I'd hate to get anyone caught in it."

Turing towards his girlfriend, he removed his contact and activated his Geass. " _Kallen, please do twenty pushups_ ".

To his great relief, Kallen's eyes turned orange and she did the pushups. To everyone else, their faces were a mask of awe and terror. When Kallen finished, they were all at a loss for what to say. Finally, Todorh spoke up, saying "So, this … Geass force absolute obedience?"

"Yes" Lelouch said, "but only for a single command. Kallen, do you mind?"

"No" the red-haired pilot responded.

" _Do twenty sit-ups"_.

This time, nothing happened. Kallen simply folded her arms and said "I'd rather not" before sitting down.

"Okay," Todoh said, satisfied that the power had limits. "Two more questions: First, how can we tell if anyone has been put under through Geass? Two, can C.C bestow her powers upon anyone?"

"Excellent questions. First: I can't speak to most Geasses. As far as my own, you could see it in the person's eyes, like you did with Kallen. If you are wondering if you have been put under, see if you are missing any memories. I'm not talking about blurry memory or anything that could potentially explained by something else. I'm talking about memory lapses; like you suddenly found yourself somewhere, with no memory as to how you got there."

There was a short span of silence, as everyone searched their memories to see if there was any such incident. The collective sigh of relief that went around the room signaled that no one had found one.

"Wait" said Chiba, realizing the implications of what Lelouch was saying. "You said _your_ Geass. Are there other Geasses out of there?"

"Yes. Currently, there is only one other Geass user allied with us: our chief intelligence officer, Mao. He has Absolute Hearing, which means he is a mind reader." This led to a collective round of "huhs" from those who had encountered Mao; his erratic actions and talking made sense with that explanation.

"Where is he currently?" Kayuga asked, seeming a little worried.

Lelouch turned towards her with a reassuring smile. "He's in China." This led to another round of "huhs" from the room. While China had always kept a tight lid about what happened in the country, there had more than a few numerous credible rumors about country slowly consumed by internal strife and organizational chaos ever since it's failed attempt to invade Japan a few weeks back. Mao's presence in the country would the sudden shift.

Lelouch then continued, "But to return to the point, I'm not sure what allows for someone to obtain a Geass. All I know is that it can't be taken on by just anybody."

"C.C, do you want to elaborate?" Rakshata asked the green-haired witch, her curiosity piqued by this strange power.

"No" C.C replied bluntly.

There was a second of silence before Lelouch continued, saying "The real problem is that there are a good number Geass users in the employ of the Empire. I don't know how many or where they are, but they work for the interests of the Empire and the Emperor."

There were looks of worry on many faces as this news was digested. "Princesses, do you know if this is true?" Tousai Munakata of the Kyoto house asked.

"I've never seen it," Cornelia responded, adopting of concentration and contemplation, "but it would explain several things that happen over the years. Some of the odder mistakes made by opposing forces…a number of nobles changing their behavior rather suddenly…"

"It also explains several things that happened during the invasion" Todoh said, himself in a similar position of thought. "There were several times when people were silenced or started acting very strangely."

"So, the threat is real" Kayuga Sumeragi said, blanching slightly. "Do you have a plan to combat any potential Geasses, Lelouch?"

"A full-bodied countermeasure to Geass is something I will work on, with the help of Dr. Rakshata" Lelouch responded. "Currently, the only real countermeasure that I have in place is the shielded visor that's a part of the Black Knights uniform."

"Our visors protect us from Geass?" Ohgi asked in wonder.

"Our visors protect against a direct Geass like mine. We need to work on a protective measure for an extrasensory Geass like Mao's".

Ohgi nodded, grateful that Zero had at least provided them with some sort of protection. There was a brief moment of silence before the next question was asked. "Zero," Kaguya said, "what are we going to do once we the Emperor is defeated?"

"I personally feel like we shouldn't discuss anything that might come after our war with Britannia just yet. It's not the best idea to divide up the spoils of victory just yet, especially as there is the very distinct possibility that we will lose and all die. There is the possibility that setting the terms of victory now will cause dissension amongst us, and that will inevitably lead to defeat."

"That's true enough" Todoh said, "but we will need to settle one thing from the start: Who will we replace the Emperor with? You're right that all other potential issues can be shelved for later, but this is one needs to be handled now."

"You're right" Lelouch replied. "And I have just the person to replace him: Princess Euphemia"

"Me?" a shocked Euphemia said, unprepared for this turn in events.

"You can't be serious" Cornelia said, terror bleeding into her voice. "You can't be serious. Not Euphie."

"I'm completely serious" Lelouch said in a calm and rational tone. "Euphemia is by and large the most popular Viceroy Britannia has ever had in any region. She has shown herself a capable leader and administrator, and completely free of the racist and elitist ideologies that plague the larger portion of Britannians. She would perfect as Empress."

There was a moment of silence as everyone digested what had been said. Then, Euphemia spoke, saying "I thank you Lelouch for the kind words and your faith in me, but I must decline the throne."

"Really? Why?" Lelouch said, echoing the thoughts of everyone in the room while Cornelia and Suzaku breathed a sigh of relief.

"My time as Viceroy has shown me what it would take for me to be the Empress of Britannia. And quite frankly, I don't believe that I'm up for the task. My time in Japan has been spent primarily dealing a complicated and self-absorbed behemoth, all while fending off enemies that range from the Black Knights to the nobility. Becoming Empress would be the same thing on a much larger stage. It's a bit too much for me. But you are right: we need someone who is free of the racist and elitist ideologies of Britannia. Someone who has proven themselves as a capable administrator and leader."

"Very well," Lelouch said. "Who do you have in mind?"

"Isn't it obvious Lelouch? I'm talking about you."

* * *

... And I'll leave it for now.

a/n: I hope to have the next chapter of this out before too long (I've already begun work).

...

That's it. Huh, I usually have more end notes.

Oh well. Till next time my friends! - TWA


	14. Chapter 12: DBTDS (AllTomorrow'sParties)

Alright! The next chapter is here! Before we get started, a few things:

A/N: I own nothing, save whatever characters I create

A/N 2: I believe this is the quickest I have ever gotten out a chapter (or at least this is one chapter that didn't take me a damn month to write).

A/N 3: We've officially passed 300 favorites! Thanks again to each and every one of you.

And so, the story continues...

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Dance Beneath the Diamond Sky (Part 2: All Tomorrow's Parties)**

 _ **One of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised**_ **– Chinua Achebe**

"Me?" Lelouch said, stunned at his sister's response.

"Yes, you" Euphemia said, her eyes shining. "You would be a better Emperor than I ever could be."

Cornelia was just as surprised as Lelouch from Euphie's proposal. She couldn't help but wonder if Lelouch hadn't put her under the influence of his Geass as well. But, as she looked into her eyes, she saw nothing but the lavender eyes of her sister, brimming with the optimism that would possess her when she came up with an ambitious and well-intentioned plan. "You would be perfect for the role" Euphie continued, that same optimism embodied in her voice. "You've shown yourself to be a excellent military commander. Given how efficient the Black Knights are, it's clear that you're also an amazing administrator. And any dissension from any of our siblings or from any noble can easily be squashed with your Geass. Everyone else here can either navigate the battlefield, the aristocracy, or the common classes. You're the only one among us who can navigate all three."

"The princess has a point" Ohgi said. "We all want to see the Empire changed. Who better than someone who not only has the potential to change the system, but fully understands the struggles of those of us here on the ground? I've worked with Zero since that day in Shinjuku, and I have never gotten the feeling that he felt he was above us all here. Even after learning he was a prince, I was always impressed by his calm demeanor and his willingness to connect with the rest of us. I think he'll make a wonderful Emperor."

"I further support this" Todoh said, adding his voice to the discussion. "He could have very easily kept the power of his Geass hidden from us and used it to further a more selfish agenda. Instead, he has revealed to us on his own volition and shown that he will use this power to help both Japan and the world."

Soon enough the rest of the room was joining in the support for Lelouch as Emperor, the words coming to near cacophony before Lelouch held up his hand for silence. "My friends" he said solemnly as he stood up, "I never expected to be given this honor. I promise I will do my best to become the commander and Emperor that you need me to be."

This earned him a standing ovation from the room. Yet Cornelia, as she clapped with the others, could not help but notice that Lelouch didn't have a look of happiness; rather it was an expressionless mask that had eyes of terrified concern.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

With the Princesses Cornelia and Euphemia having removed themselves from the Viceroy of Area 11, there was a debate over what would be worse in terms of a replacement. Ohgi, Euphemia, and a few others felt it would be worse if the Emperor would declare the region his personal domain like Penndragon and personally lead the forces in Japan. Others, Lelouch and Cornelia chief amongst them, felt that it would be worse if Schniezel was named Viceroy. One faction argued that it would be harder to fight a higher profile commander with a lot of charisma, the other argued that facing a ruthless and cunning commander would be worse, even if he might be distracted by his other duties.

In any case, the scenario that was playing out across Lelouch's phone was definitely the third worst scenario.

"Greetings Area 11! To those of you who don't know me, I am the Fifth Princess of the Holy Britannian Empire, Carine ne Britannia!" spoke the new Viceroy over the speakers of the phone.

Even by his terms, things were moving very fast to Lelouch. After they had declared him the successive Emperor, there was a quick discussion about how to handle the situation with the two princesses who were allied with them, as they could very well not go back to their usual residences since Imperial forces wanted them dead. It was Nunnally who came up with a solution. She instructed Diethard to start reporting that the two of them were heading back to the Homeland to recover and a new Viceroy would be selected soon enough (these reports were verified with reports that had been falsified by Jeremiah). In the meantime, the two would be staying at Ashford Academy as Lillian and Candance Lamprouge, cousins of Lelouch and Nunnally who were staying with them for a short period whilst they explored potential opportunities. Lelouch had managed to convince Principal Ashford to let them stay, suggesting that assisting the Royal Family would allow them to regain favor with the court.

That had been a week ago. And in the meantime, Lelouch planned. Initially, his plan was to have Euphie announce her intention to take the throne and depose the Emperor, then have Cornelia use as many of her old contacts around the world to throw the Empire into a multi-front civil war. Now that he was to be Emperor, he needed to adjust his strategy. Now his plan was primarily based on the liberation of Japan before moving on to other Areas. The finer details of how that was all going to play out were still to be decided, but for now his most pressing concern about who would be the new Viceroy. So far, the state media had been reporting their cover story, so Lelouch knew that it was only going a matter of time before he find out what type of battle was he would be fighting in the coming days. With this news report, that question had been answered.

It was going to be a violent and ugly battle.

"I know that times in this Area have rough lately, with the cowardly attacks from such treacherous Elevens like the Black Knights" Carne continued, "but I'm here to promise that change is coming. This Area, which has lagged behind the rest of Empire, will go under a profound –"

Lelouch decided to skip ahead a bit, moving the video along on his phone. The press conference had happened to about a day ago, so Lelouch knew that the rest of Carne's speech would primarily consist of thinly veiled announcements of more repressive measures that were often connected by fluff that praised the Empire and the Emperor. Lelouch had little in the way of memories when it came to his little half-sister. As children, she was always near Guinevere and forbidden by her mother to associate with the so called "half-breeds". Lelouch certainly hadn't made any real effort to get to know her any better during his brief return into Imperial politics in the previous timeline, shunting her off as maid with his Geass without so much of a second thought. His sisters had a much more experience with her however, and their reports were …less than positive, to say the least. When asked about Carne the night she was announced, Nunnally had privately confided to Lelouch that she thought Carne was "a full-blown psychopath", amongst other things. Cornelia had written her off as "a rank amateur, who really shouldn't be let anywhere near the military". Even Euphie, who always tried to get along with everyone, called Carne "a complete waste of Imperial DNA". All three of them had made one thing clear during through their opinions: Carne was something of a battle _otaku_ , who loved the idea of carnage and would happily support any plan that involved bullets and bloodshed. Cornelia was quick to point out that the Fifth Princess had no actual warfare experience. But she still worried Lelouch as Viceroy for two reasons. The first is that she might use something she learned as this war _otaku_ and throw something unexpectedly devious at them on the battlefield. The second was that she clearly didn't care about civilian casualties, which signaled that battles were going to very loud and very violent.

But Carne ne Britannia was the lesser of Lelouch's concerns that had arisen out of the press conference. The much bigger concern came at the point where Lelouch allow the video to play onwards, where the Fifth Princess stepped away from the podium to introduce a gift from the Emperor himself to Area 11: The Knight of 10, Luciano Bradley.

"Greetings Area 11! I am Luciano Bradley, the Knight of Ten," the red-haired knight had begun his speech with, which had been a been a shorter variation on Carne's speech before him. The only thing that was truly different in the two speeches was that Bradley had actually called out the Black Knights by name, promising that "Death has come for Zero". The speech was really fitted to the Vampire of Britannia's tastes: his lust for blood exceed that of Carne's, and he would often use the cover of war to indulge his desires for carnage. Bradley also made sense as an appointment for the rebellious Area 11, as the Areas that he was stationed in had some of the lowest rates for resurgent rebellion (primarily due to lack of rebels left to cause any trouble). Lelouch didn't really care so much about whatever threats were being thrown at him; he had survived what the two of them were threatening with by more competent actors. But he was very interested in what message the Emperor was sending him by these two appointments: Britannia cared only for the territory and sakuradite of Japan and would hold on to it even if it meant tinging the land with blood.

"Are you watching that again?" Lelouch heard a voice speak. Turning off his phone, he twisted himself around to see Kallen looking at him expectantly.

"Just reviewing so that when we all meet together again, I can offer a coherent plan" he said, offering a smile.

Kallen smiled back, replying "That's all good and well, but we're needed now for the Student Council meeting."

Lelouch gestured towards the meeting room, and off they went. "What are your thoughts on the new Viceroy?" Kallen asked, as they made their way down the hallway.

"I'm afraid that I don't too many thoughts on her. I never really got the opportunity to spend any time with her. From what I've heard from my sisters, I apparently didn't really miss much."

"She must be a piece of work" Kallen said, as they entered the student council boardroom. "I thought it wasn't possible for Nunnally to say a negative thing against anyone."

"Oh, that was nothing. You should've heard Lillian's reaction when she found out."

"Oh? What was _Lillian_ reacting to?" Milly asked, coming up to the conversation with a mischievous look in her eye.

"That there was to be a festival and a party coming in a few days" Lelouch answered, smoothly transitioning into the lie. "She was dreadfully worried that her stay here would be complete boredom."

"As if that's ever possible with the Prez in charge of things" Suzaku said as he sat down at the board table.

"Is it true that you're escorting her to the dance?" Shirley asked Suzaku as she took her seat.

"I am" was his reply.

"Really? What about the Princess?" a strangely worried Nina asked from her end of the table.

"Princess Euphemia is currently resting in the Britannia Homeland. As for whatever else you were insinuating, we have a strictly professional relationship."

As Suzaku delivered his response, Lelouch quickly gauged the room for the reactions of the other members of the student council. Kallen and Nunnally knew that this was all a façade, so they weren't paying attention. Nina, Gino, Shirly, and Rivalz all seemed to take the words in stride, which was in character for them. Milly, however, was smiling playfully while she sipped her tea, which signaled that she was about throw out some sly remark designed throw somebody off balance. His suspicion came true when Milly turned towards him and said "I'm more interested in what you have to say Lelouch. How does it feel to have Suzu here date your female clone?".

Lelouch smiled, more than prepared to deal with Milly's teasing. "Who either of them date is their own business. Besides, I'm just happy that Lilly picked someone quickly. I was worried that she would be mobbed down by girls who were trying to date me via proxy." There was a grain of truth to this. Euphemia and Cornelia had taken to wearing black wigs and violet contacts so that they could pass themselves off as members of the Lamprouge family. It had worked, but an unexpected side effect of attracting a lot of attention from the girls of the students; A lot of notes were being written inviting her to the dance, some of which seemed to be written by a feminine hand.

Milly held her mischievous smile as she looked at Lelouch. "I suppose that's fair" she said. "It's only your _cousin_. It's not like we're talking about Nunnally, are we?"

"What do you mean?" Lelouch asked, only to realize from the look in the blonde girl's eyes that he had fallen straight into her trap.

"Well, I heard that a certain _someone_ asked her out to the formal."

"As always, you're making something out of nothing" Nunnally said quickly before turning to her brother, hoping to squash any misunderstanding before it got of hand. "Robert Grohl asked me out on what I believe was a dare, and I said no. I'm still being escorted by Miss Sayoko." Lelouch nodded as he digested this information. He remembered Nunnally mentioning this Grohl before; she had described him as having "all the charm of a dead dog", as well also possessing the utility of one as well.

"Well, of course" Milly said. "It's not as if Patrick Bradbury asked you out."

"W-W-What?" Nunnally stuttered, half choking on her tea.

"You know who I'm talking about. Your dashing classmate with the dark blue hair and those green eyes- "

"P-Pat's going with Mary Whitford – "

"Who asked _him_ out. I have it on good authority that he would've asked you out if he hadn't so afraid of a _certain_ someone."

"Can we please get the meeting started?" Kallen asked, eying the two Lamprouges. Nunnally was almost as red as the Guren and her hand was shaking her tea cup violently, whilst Lelouch had a look on him that was some cross between dumbfounded confusion and shellshock concussion. "It looks like our Vice President's head is about to explode, and _I_ would like to have a boyfriend to take me to the dance." While she said this, Kallen made a mental note to have a word with Lelouch about how Nunnally was growing up and that there were side effects to eyesight.

"Right then" Milly said, turning her attention to the papers in front of her, "I hereby declare this council meeting in session! First things first, let's make sure everyone's here. Mr. Secretary?"

"It looks like Anya's missing" Rivalz said, looking around the room.

"Rivalz, don't you remember? Anya handed in her resignation four days ago" Lelouch said.

"Really? Why?"

"She said she needed to focus more on her duties with the military."

"As of now, she's now officially a member of S&R" Milly added. Students at Ashford were required to be a member of an extracurricular in an effort to have students connect with each other outside of the classroom. However, there were always a number of students who were "unclubbable", in part of their need for an afterschool job, familial situations, or their personality. If this was the case, they would be made members of the "Study and Research" club, or "S&R", a polite way of saying they went home at the end of the day.

"Wait, why haven't you done the same Gino?" Nina asked with a curious look.

"Why would I?" The blonde-haired knight responded?

"Well, I thought that you would be doing the same, given all that's happened recently."

"No, I love it here? What with all we do and …everything." After looking around the room and seeing a series of cocked eyebrows, Gino sighed and sagged his shoulders. "Look, I need a reason to get away from the military base. The new Viceroy is making some …odd changes around HQ, and …to be frank I just don't get along with Luc- Sir Bradley."

"It's no problem" Milly said with a smile. "I do believe that a number of our members have used this club to escape someone troublesome at one point or another. Let's move on. Nina, what's the status on the materials for the festival?"

"Well, everything is in place for the haunted house and the formal. As far as the class stalls and presentations, the only classes who have not had their reimbursement forms approved are 1A, 2C, and 3B."

"Really? Why is that?" Milly asked, turning towards Lelouch.

"Well," Lelouch responded, looking through his notes "1A elected not to do anything this year, and therefore didn't submit a form. 2C also didn't submit a form, as they've said that they'll get all their materials for their production of _The Princess Knight_ from the drama club since they are working together on this. And finally, 3B's request was rejected since I do not trust Rickon Trevose with fireworks, or any pyrotechnics at all."

"Trevose…Trevose…Wait, isn't he the one who try to burn down the science wing and then blame on Rivalz?"

"Yes, yes he is" Lelouch said, smirking at the memory.

"Alright, I'll have a word with him" Milly said with a sigh. "Right, anything else?"

"We need to decide on a main event for the festival" Shirley said.

"Weren't we doing a giant pizza?" Lelouch said, confused. Things involving the festival were confusing for him in this timeline, since all of this was supposed to have happen _before_ the SAZ debacle. But weather and logistical concerns had pushed it back to now. Still, he was surprised that he had missed a major change to the Student Council's plans.

"Well we _were_ " Milly responded with an annoyed tone. "But someone stole the old Knightmares from the basement, so we need to come up with something new."

Lelouch quickly looked towards his sister and his girlfriend and mouthed the words _When?_. Nunnally was the one who responded, discreetly signaling the number "5" with hand. As Lelouch mulled back over his memories he thought back to what was going on five weeks ago. He had been planning out a response to the SAZ announcement, but he did remember that there had been a robbery at the school around that time. He also remembered Nunnally telling him that she had orchestrated the break-in so that she could have the Knightmares used in an attack on a gathering of corrupt nobles, as well as Milly being somewhat distracted since her engagement to Lord Asplund had fallen apart. The picture, Lelouch made a mental note to ask Nunnally where she had stashed those Knightmares; it would be embarrassing if they were found in a place that could be connected to them.

While he was thinking about all this, the other members of the council were suggesting new ideas as to what should be their main event as the giant pizza was off the table (so to speak).

"We could do a scavenger hunt, with an extra special prize at the end" Rivalz suggested.

"No, we just did that when we all chased Arthur" Milly responded. "Come on people, I need _good_ ideas!"  
"We play 'Sharks and Minnows' with in the school swimming pool?" Shirley said.

"We basically did that last year!"

"How about a gender-bent beauty pageant?" Nunnally offered.

"Tempting, but I rather not wind up in front of my grandfather again due to accusations of indecency like I did with the cross-dressing ball."

"How about a karaoke tournament?" Gino said.

"Try harder!"

"What about a pie-eating competition?" Nina suggested.

"We tried that during the winter festival, it went nowhere remember?"

"Diving competition?" Kallen said.

"Too bland!"

"How about a speed painting contest?" Suzaku said.

This earned him several different looks of baffled confusion. Milly turned to Lelouch and said, "Seriously Lulu, how do you handle him?"

"It can be a trial times to be sure" Lelouch said with a smile, looking back a Suzaku with an impish glint in his eyes. "One of these days, I'm going to find him trying to buy clothes from a soup store, I swear."

This earned him a round of laughter from the room, including a small chuckle from Suzaku himself. Milly then asked, "What do you think we should do, Vice Prez?"

Lelouch thought carefully for a moment, then answered: "How about a three-legged foot race with…all the participants dressed up as cats?"

"That's perfect Lulu! Start drafting the fliers when you get the chance Nina, I'll let you know what the reward will be. Now on to the next item: Does everyone have an escort or a date to the formal?"

"Well, I'll be taking Kallen" Lelouch answered.

"I'm taking Lillian" Suzaku said.

"Gino and I are going together" Shirley responded, eliciting a few surprised stares.

"And I'm taking my girlfriend" Rivalz said.

"Girlfriend? Who is she?" Lelouch asked, surprised that he had missed this. "Is it that one bar hag I saw hit on you when I visited you that a few weeks ago?"

"No, silly" Milly said with a giggle. "It's me."

This elicited a series of stares from everyone in the room. "When this happen?" Lelouch asked, kicking himself for not paying attention to what was happening around him.

"About…four weeks ago. My engagement was over with, and I was bored. Rivalz took me to a movie and a club, and it went from there."

"How come now is the first I'm hearing of it?"

"Oh Lulu. Unlike you, _I_ know how to keep my relationships a secret."

"The only reason anyone here in the school knows about my relationship with Kallen was because you basically told everyone you met the day after you found out, which is basically everyone in the school."

"Can you blame me? It's the most interesting thing to happen concerning you since that whipped cream incident during the cross-dressing ball."

"Let's move on" Lelouch said, anxious to avoid having that memory dredged up before the council. "Anyone else have a date?"

"I'm being escorted by Miss Sayoko and Candance" Nunnally responded.

"And that leaves you Nina" Lelouch said as he turned his attention to Nina, as did the rest of the room.

"I-I'm not going with anyone" Nina said, stunned at the sudden shift of attention.

"Really? Why?" Gino asked.

"I'm-I'm just not interested" Nina stuttered out.

"I thought something like that would be right up your alley" Nunnally said. Lelouch couldn't help but notice that his sister's tone seemed to suggest something hidden and that Nina's face seemed to get redder in response. Now that he thought about it, the two of them seemed to be distant from each other these past weeks. It felt like it had started around the same time that Nunnally had Sayoko clean the entire boardroom table. Nunnally had dodged the question when Lelouch asked her about it, but he made a note to speak with her about it again.

"Well, you'll need to get one. No member of the Student Council goes to the formal alone! It's in the bylaws!"

"Madame Prez, it's not" Lelouch said gently.

"Well I'm making it a part of it!"

"You need a vote for that."

"Fine then: Who votes in favor of making all Student Council members have dates to the formal?"

In response, Milly's, Rivalz's, Nunnally's, Gino's, and Shirley's hands went up. With a smile, Milly said "5 to 3, the motion passes."

Nina was basically a red-faced, dithering mess at this point. "I-I-I don't ha-ha-have anyone I want to invite."

"Well if that's the case, I hereby charge Lelouch with finding you a date!"

"Me!" a confused Lelouch responded. "Why me?"

"Because you have a knack for reading people. And because if you don't, or if you set her up with someone terrible, I start spreading around that photo of you getting pied in the face during the cross-dressing ball."

"Fine. I'll find Nina a date. But know that if you ever decide to release that photo, know that I'll post your beauty pageant audition tape on the internet."

"What? How did you get that?"

"From the principal."

Milly's face started twitching, unnerved that she had been outmaneuvered. "My grandfather …gave you that tape?"

"Gladly. He also gave me some photos you can pay me _not_ to show Rivalz."

"What photos?"

"The ones that document your pop-punk princess phase."

"You had a punk phase?" Rivalz asked his girlfriend.

"Meeting Adjourned!" was the only response he got to that question.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

And so the days moved on, moving on without interruption or disruption, until the day of the festival and the formal. Milly had eventually announced that Pizza Hut would give the winners of the three-legged cat race a semester's worth of pizza free. How she had managed this no one would ever figure out, but it certainly drove up the registration. The day of the festival was like no other in history of the school. The schoolyard was packed to the brim as students, teachers, parents, and curious passerbyers toured the various stalls, took in the sight and sounds, and reveled in the fact that summer was coming and soon their troubles would be leaves on the wind. It was a carefree celebration of the young and the immortal by the young and the immortal, an enormous party that two Britannian Princesses said could give the ones thrown by the opulent nobles of Penndragon a run for their money. The crowning moment was the three-legged race, wherein a cavalcade of students dressed up in absurd feline outfits proceeded to run, hop, skip, and trip around the campus until a pair of sophomores became the first team to cross the finish line and win a year's supply of pizza, a pewter trophy, and the adulation and ovation of the school.

Soon enough, the stalls were closed, and everyone was shooed off the premises so that the other headliner event could take place: The Spring Formal. As the schoolyard was cleaned and the lighting was set up, the students of Ashford Academy began their own preparations for the night: The boys put on their best tuxedos and hoped that they were sharp enough for the girls to notice them; the girls put on their finest dresses and hoped they were pretty enough to catch the eyes of the various boys to notice them (or at the very least to keep the eyes of their dates on them and not on another girl).

Soon enough, every one of them was gathered on the courtyard, either catching up with their friends or standing around awkwardly waiting for the music to begin. They didn't have to wait long, for the orchestra began to play and the designated dance area turned into a sea of passion, romance, and various attempts at dancing (some of which were more successful than others).

While all of this was happening, Kallen was standing at a table to side serving punch. Her mood was a mixture annoyance and caution; the annoyance was caused by the fact that Milly had stuck her here at the last minute, the caution driven by a desire to avoid spilling any of the punch on her dress. While she had many dresses due to her aristocratic upbringing, this was particularly special, as it was gift from her mother. Originally her engagement party dress, her mother had adapted it for especially for Kallen: The dress was now form-fitting and extended just to her ankles, while a streak of red ran down the single sleeve and across her midriff, creating a striking contrast with the deep black that defined the rest of the dress. Kallen had thanked her mother profusely, while secretly feeling guilty; she had told Oghi, Tamaki, and everyone else in the original cell that she would tell her about Lelouch's Geass, yet she never got around to it since always seemed to come up. Perhaps she would bring Lelouch along when she did, to help her explain. He would certainly do his best to win her over from any objections, seeing how both them were in his good graces given the dress she was wearing. Kallen couldn't help but smile at the memory of Lelouch's reaction to her dress when he saw it earlier in the evening; his face had turned red as he told her how beautiful she looked, stuttering like the awkward teen that most people his age were. At least his reaction had been better than Suzaku when he had seen Euphie in her purple sleeveless satin dress; the poor boy hadn't been able to speak for about two minutes.

"Having a fun time?" a voice said from the side. Kallen turned to see Shirley approaching her, the orange-head looking lovely in an elegant green gown that brought out the color in her eyes.

"Kind of" she responded. "I'd rather be out on the dance floor than stuck behind this table."

"You're telling me" Shirley said in agreement. "At least your date actually came."

"Really? What happened to Gino?"

"Got called away to the military base at the last second" Shirley said with a sigh. "Nina looks like she's having fun though, isn't she?"

Kallen turned to see Nina, who was currently dancing with Rickon Trevose, a boy about her height wearing a bright orange tuxedo and who's purple hair had an intense streak of green running through it. Kallen, like other Student Council members, had been skeptical when Lelouch had chosen the self-professed pyromaniac as Nina's date, but it seemed to be going well. Rickon's passion for fire had apparently given him a passion for chemistry that made him a perfect match for Nina. Kallen had witnessed first-hand evidence of this when the pair had came over the punch bowl and discussed the molecular make-up of the drinks on the table. "Yes they do," she said as she looked on the two of them dancing. "I had my reservations about how well it would work out, but it seems like they are really hitting it off."

"It really does" Shirley responded. "Lelouch really know what's best for people, doesn't he?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about the two of you. Before you were dating, you were moody and really reserved. Now? You're much more outgoing and you seem far happier. The same goes for Lelouch. The only time I saw him smile, I mean _truly_ smile, used to only be around Nunnally. It seems that you two really complement each other very well."

"And what about you, the one who pined away after him forever?"

"Oh, I'm still in love with him. But at least I now know that might heart isn't limited to one person. And at the very least, I can be happy that Lulu is now happy." There was a pause as the two of them watched the promenade of dancers go by them. "I can take over here" Shirley said suddenly, turning towards Kallen. "Why don't you go have some fun?"

"Really? You're sure?"

"My date's nowhere near here, and we both know that this may be one of the few opportunities for you to get Lelouch to dance with you in public."

Kallen thanked Shirley and headed out towards the ball, looking for Lelouch. She walked around the area for a bit, asking Nina and Milly, both of them wearing the same outfit that they wore to that party in China in the previous timeline, if they had seen him. In the end, she found him where he could always be found at events like this: In a corner off to the side, looking at his phone. "Please tell me you're not doing official business tonight" she said, walking up to him.

"I'm not" Lelouch responded, closing his phone and putting into his pocket. "I'm looking up baseball scores."

" _You're_ looking up sports scores? Why on earth would you do that?"

"I have 400 pounds saying that Penndragon Dragons beat Atlanta United"

"Why are you betting on baseball?"

"Because the Black Knights needs as much as cash as we can get, as there's limits to how much Kyoto's going to give us. Besides, there's only so many Refrain dealers we can rip-off in this city."

"If I didn't know you better, I'd say you have a problem."

"With gambling or with the Black Knights?"

"A bit of both. But enough about that; do you think you could pull yourself away from your phone, bets, and revolutionaries to dance with me?"

"It would be my pleasure" Lelouch said, proffering his arm as the two of them headed towards the dance floor.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Nunnally had spent the larger portion of her life in a wheelchair, so there were very few times that she felt hindered by her disabilities. This was one of them, as she looked out from under the porch of the Student Council building onto dance floor illuminated by fairy lights and the full moon, feeling a longing to be there. Her eyes glanced over Lelouch in his striking black tuxedo twirling Kallen around the floor, and she wondered what it would be like to be on the floor moving in time with the music, preferably in the arms of a cute boy.

"Enjoying the view, are we?" Nunnally heard a voice say next to her. Turning her head, she saw that Cornelia had taken a seat next to her. Her "cousin" had adopted a plain grey dress that was simple but elegant. She had brushed off any requests that a better dress be given to her, saying that she was to blend in, not stand out.

"Yes" Nunnally responded. "The only problem right now is that I wish I was out there on the floor."

Cornelia gave an understanding smile. "When the moon is shining, the cripple becomes hungry for a walk."

Nunnally raised an eyebrow at her half-sister. "Where did you pick that up?"

"I heard it from a num- a local when I was stationed in Lagos."

Now it was Nunnally's turn to smile. "Nice to see you're trying to distance yourself from your old thought process."

"It's a work in progress."

Just then, Nunnally noticed someone approaching them both. Shifting her attention towards the oncoming figure, she saw that it was Patrick Bradbury approaching with three drinks. The blue-haired heir to the Bradbury conglomerate was wearing a neon green tuxedo that somehow brought out the bright orange in his eyes. "Nunnally" he said as he handed her a drink before turning to Cornelia and addressing her as "Lady Candance" as he handed her a glass as well.

"Pat, thank you so much" Nunnally said warmly.

"It's no problem" he replied with an equally warm tone.

"Isn't Mary with you?"

"She had to take a call" Pat said as he looked around to make sure she wasn't there, "so I came over to see how you were doing."

"That's very kind of you Pat. I'm doing well, been catching up with my cousin after so long. How are you?"

Patrick opened his mouth to reply, but before he got a chance to respond, a shrill yell interrupted him. "There you are!" Mary Whitford shouted as she walked over furiously towards them, or at least as furiously as she could in the gaudy purple dress and neon pink heels she was wearing. "I've been looking everywhere for you," she said with a snarl once she was upon them, "why are you over here talking to _her_?"

"I-I was introducing myself to Lady Candance" he stuttered out, surprised by her appearance. "She's come from the Homeland, and since I haven't been there in many years, I was hoping to hear how things were going on over there."

"Well, _I_ was just in the Homeland last month, so I can tell you all about it. You don't need to talk to _them_." And with that, Mary dragged Pat away so quickly, the poor boy didn't even get a chance to apologize.

"Well, she's seems nice" Cornelia said sardonically, sipping her drink.

"Mary's always been difficult" Nunnally said with a sigh, "but why she's being this way tonight is beyond me."

"Isn't it obvious? He's infatuated with you and you're infatuated with him. She's jealous!"

Nunnally started to feel herself turn red. "If-f that's true, why did-dn't he ask me?"

"Probably the same reason why the other two didn't ask you either"

"What other two?!"

"The one with the spiky green hair and the one with silver hair and glasses."

"Leo and Martin w-were going to ask me out?"

"Yes, the green-haired one –"

"Leo"

"I saw standing outside this building last week through the window with a bouquet of flowers looking anxious. The silver-haired one, Martin I guess, was outside your apartment a few days ago practicing an invitation when I came over for tea."

"I wonder why they didn't ask me" Nunnally said, almost to herself.

"That's easy: Lelouch answered the door."

"What? Did he scare them off?"

"I don't he meant so intentionally. He was quite pleasant when he opened the door for Martin and I. Martin just got flustered quickly, asked some throwaway question about the Student Council and ran. I think something similar happened with Leo as well."

Nunnally sighed. Given the air of mystique that Lelouch seemed to have cultivated around campus over the years, it would make sense that members of her own class would react to him with terror and awe. "It's probably for the best. I can't imagine what Lelouch's reaction would be if one of them did ask me ask out."

"It'd be tough for him, but he'll get over it. That's how it was for me and Euphie. I'll admit I was skeptical about Suzaku, but he's turned out to be a better boyfriend for Euphie than I could've ever hoped for" Cornelia said as she saw the two of them happily dancing on the floor outside. "So, which one of them is your favorite?" she asked Nunnally with a sly smile.

Nunnally felt herself turn red again, this time even stronger. "I-I don't know" she said, embarrassed by the conversation was moving. "They used to be just voices I heard when I went to class. Now that I can put a face to the name…" she said before trailing off, unable to explain the new overwhelming sensations that had come with the return of her sight.

Cornelia seemed to understand however. "O, wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world that has such people in it!" she quipped dramatically, her smile deepening.

"First African proverbs, now Shakespeare?" Nunnally said. "You're unusually poetic tonight."

"The princess has always had a lyrical streak" A new voice said behind them. "The only reason she doesn't employ it more often is because it clashes with her 'Amazonian woman of steel' routine."

Both ladies turned their head to see Dalton standing behind them with a smile on his face. He and Guilford had adopted the identities of manservants to "Lilian" and "Candance", and from his simple red uniform he still was in role.

"Besides" Cornelia said with a sigh, "the only people who quote poetry in the Capitol are nobles who are either overly pretentious or trying to be overly pretentious."

"Where's Guilford?" Nunnally asked.

"He's off to the side" Dalton replied, "getting a dance lesson from your maid."

Looking in the direction, she could that Sayoko was indeed instructing Guilford how to waltz properly. They seemed to be enjoying themselves; Sayoko had a patient and earnest smile on her face, while Guilford seemed to by oddly flustered. "Well, he's in good hands" Nunnally said. "Ms. Sayoko has the grace of a ballerina and the patience of a rock."

"She'll need it" Cornelia said, "I've seen Guilford dance, and he's nothing but left feet."

They all shared a quiet laugh at that, and then Cornelia asked Dalton to get them a refill for their drinks. As they sat there waiting, a question popped into Nunnally's head. "Nelly, when was the last time you danced with anyone?"

Cornelia was silent for a few seconds before answering. "I've never liked dancing" she began with a sigh. "It's always too formal and usually some drunk nobleman is trying to grope you at the same time, so I usually avoid it as much as I can. But one time, we were having a party at the base I was stationed in near Rio de Janeiro. Everyone there was having a good time and I even got a few requests to dance. I refused them all and managed to make it through the event with dancing one. But the next day, one of my lieutenants, Lidia, came to my quarters and asked why I didn't dance anyone. I told her that I didn't like dancing, but she said that had to be nonsense, that I just hadn't given it a fair shot. So she put on a CD that she had and taught a local dance called the samba. It took me a few tries to get it right, but once I did, I was having the time of my life. It was the first, and last, time that I ever enjoyed dancing."

Nunnally looked on her half-sister's face as she finished her story, noting that her face was filled with a mixture of wistfulness and longing. Then she realized what the cause of that expression was. "You loved her."

Now it was Cornelia's turn to turn red. "W-What would lead you to that assumption?"

Nunnally smiled. "What you, Big Brother, and Euphie all seem to forget is that is that I was there in the Imperial Court with all of you as well. I may have not been there long, but I did learn a thing or two about reading people's expressions and emotions."

Cornelia smiled back. "Fair enough. We were young when we met. She had tanned skin, long hair that was as black as the night, and a smile that could brighten any room. I was actually close to naming her as one of my knights."

"What happened?"

"Lidia died in a firefight near Toledo. It was all very odd how it happened; she was supposed to be ranging a good 40 klicks from where she was ambushed. She also told me a few days before that she felt that something was off and that someone was following her. I didn't pay it much attention at the time. Now I wish I had."

"You suspect the Emperor?"

"Before I came to Japan, I would've said no. Now…? With everything I know about now…now I'm sure I can trust anything about him."

Nunnally looked at her sister for a few seconds as she wondered how to respond to this. She was on the cusp for figuring out what to say when her phone began to ring. Cursing silently, she excused herself from Cornelia (who gave her an understanding nod) and looked to see who was calling her. Seeing that the phone that was ringing was her untraceable phone for the Black Knights, and that the call was from Jeremiah Guttwold, she picked it up. "What is it, Jeremiah?"

"Lady Nunnally I'm sorry that I'm calling you but I just found out and you and Prince Lelouch need to go-"

"Slow down Jeremiah! What's going on?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lelouch and Kallen were off to the side getting a drink when they announced that a special waltz would be played next: the second waltz of the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich. "My favorite!" Kallen said. "Did you have a hand in this, Lelouch?"

Lelouch only smiled and led her onto the dance floor. As the waltz began, they danced slowly and sweetly. Then something odd began to happen: The world began to fade away. First, the people, then the room, and then the floor. Soon enough, they were flying on air and were miles above the earth. It was if they were the only two people in existence, and they were dancing on a sea of stars. The waltz came to its slow end, yet the happy couple couldn't tear away from each other. As they looked into each other's eyes, they could only see the universe and nothing else.

Unfortunately, their moment of serene blissed was interrupted by a missile making its way into the Science Wing and blowing it up.

* * *

...And on that note, I'll end it here.

Thank you all for reading, I look forward to seeing you at the next chapter!


	15. Chapter 13:DBTDS (Save Me from the Waltz

And welcome back everyone! Before we get started, a few notes:

A/N: I own nothing...as always

A/N 2: To answer some comments, both Villeta and Rollo are dead. Their death's were mentioned in passing during previous chapters (Ch.7 and Ch. 11).

A/N 3: I'm trying out one or two new things with the chapter. In particular, I'm beginning with a POV from Arthur, which is something I haven't tried before. All I can ask is for your continued patience and support (as well as your reviews, to let me know how I'm doing).

A/N 4: Alright, we've passed 500 followers! High fives for all of you!

...Aright, I don't think I have anything else to add here. On with the show!

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Dance Beneath the Diamond Sky (Part 3: Save Me from The Waltz)**

 _ **The universe isn't obligated to make sense to you –**_ **Neil DeGrasse Tyson**

 _ **The flames are all long gone/But the pain lingers on**_ **– Pink Floyd**

 _ **I have a new name for pain…The Obliterator. Because when you're in pain, nothing else can exist. Not thought. Not emotion. Only the drive to escape the pain. When it is strong enough, the Obliterator strips of everything that makes us who we are, until we're reduced to creatures less than animals, creatures with a single desire and goal: escape**_ **– Eragon Shadeslayer**

Brackentail sat on the inside of a window ledge and looked over his new home, the strange Twoleg place that was called "Ash-ferd Ah-kah-deh-mee". And his name _was_ still Brackentail, or at least that's what he referred to himself as instead of the kittypet name that he had been given: "Are-tur". He could still remember his childhood in Thunderclan; playing with his littermates in the den, patrolling the forest with his mentor Ferntooth, and especially the Gatherings that were held at FourTrees under the full moon. However, his somewhat peaceful existence was cut brutally short. It had not even been a moon after gaining his warrior name when the great birds that hover came and rained fire and death onto the forest. They seemed to be primarily focused on the Twoleg compound that was located in the forest, but the fires and ashes spread to the clans and the cats were all scattered. Brackentail still wondered what became of his clan. He wondered whether any of them, or if any other clan cat, had lived.

After that, Brackentail was forced to become a loner, scrounging after half-starved rats and rotten Twoleg garbage. His only respite was for a brief two moons when he fell under the care of what he imagined to be the Twoleg equivalent of a loner. He called himself "Nah-kah-ta" and he called Brackentail "Neh-ko". Brackentail was distrustful of this Twoleg at first, but he grew accustomed to him. It was during this time that the Twolegs were themselves broken into clans: there were the ones who looked like Nah-kah-ta that were called "Nee-hon-gin", and there the paler ones who were called "Brits". It was a group of these Brits who killed Nah-kah-ta; they cornered him one night and proceed to viciously beat him before setting him on fire. Brackentail felt the urge to help, but he knew that he was powerless to stop them, just as he was powerless to stop any Twoleg. From there Brackentail resumed the life of a loner, until he was picked up two new Twolegs called "Yu-fee" and "Sue-zah-ku". Brackentail was always wary, but they took him to the Ash-ferd Ah-cah-de-mee, where he met new Twolegs like "Mill-ee", "Riv-all", and "Lulu". He was basically a kittypet now, but he was happy since he was now being fed and kept safe. Or at least as safe as one can be around Twolegs.

It was on this that Brackentail was meditating on when he heard a familiar whine. A loud boom followed, and as he turned his head he saw a large mass of flames that hadn't previously been there. Looking up into the sky, he could see the hovering birds of death, silhouetted against the stars and the moon. Hearing another whine, he quickly moved and made for the outside. _They have returned_ , he thought as he ran, _they've come to take my home from me again._ But as he was making his out that there was an explosion he was knocked off his feet. Picking himself up, he realized that his hearing seemed a bit off, his eyesight was a bit woozy, and he was surrounded by fire. In the blazing flames in front of him, Brackentail could've sworn he saw a face; a malicious, evil face. A face that was taunting him. _I killed your clan_ , the face seemed to say, _I killed Nah-kah-ta, and now I'm going kill you_. As he pulled himself away from the face, Brackentail saw that there was a small opening to the outdoors. Driven by an almost-irrational desire to deny the face in the flames, he rushed through it. It singed his fur, but he was now outside and alive.

Looking around the courtyard, he saw that the whole place was in chaos. Twolegs were running around scared and confused, no one seeming to head in a general direction. Brackentail eventually saw what he thought was familiar looking Twoleg and he headed in that direction, doing his best to avoid the swift legs of others as he made his way over there. His hunch turned out to be correct as he came upon Mill-ee. The yellow-haired Twoleg picked up Brackentail and embraced him, an embrace which he accepted. But even as he curled into the arms of the Twolegs, he could still feel the heat in his fur and see the bright orange flames through his closed eyes.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Late in the night, as fires of Ashford were dying down, a message was sent out. It reached every TV, phone, and computer in Area 11, Britannian and Japanese alike. It was also uploaded to a number of popular websites, and soon it had gone viral across the world. Here's how it went:

The screen lost signal for a second, showing nothing but static. It was then replaced by an image of Zero sitting at a desk in a non-descript room with the banner of the Black Knights behind him. He sat there in silence for a few seconds, before speaking:

 _Things have gone too far._

 _The goal of the Black Knights has always been simple: Justice. Justice for the downtrodden. Justice for the disenfranchised. Justice for the wrongfully wrong. Justice for those who have no voice. Justice for the weak. Justice for the maligned. Justice for all._

 _We fought injustice wherever we found it. We fought when we found it in the ruins of Shinjuku, as thousands of Japanese were being massacred. We fought when hundreds of innocents were held hostage at Lake Kawaguchi._ _We have fought wherever we have found injustice. And we will continue to do so._

 _However, there appears to be an increasing source for these injustices. One from which a number of atrocities and cruelties have recently emerged. I of course refer to the Britannian Empire. We attempt to make peace with the empire by means of the Special Administration Zone. This turned out to be a false hope, as a peaceful celebration was turned into a massacre its very first night by forces that directly report to the Emperor. Soon after, its architects were removed, and we were given Princess Carine ne Britannia as Viceroy, as well as Ser Luciano Bradley to oversee matters. Within days of their appointment, a whole new host of horrors was unleashed upon Japan. Troops went through the ghettos in Ikkebukuro and and Takadonababa and killed anyone who was living there. A set of Knightmares were set loose on the Tokyo Settlement, attacking a school and killing the students who were simply hosting a dance. And across Japan, Britannian men, women, and children were dragged out of their homes and shot like dogs. Why? Because either they were sympathetic to our cause, they were critical of Britannian policies, or simply because they were in bad standing with the Empire._

 _Are we to accept this? That our lives are beheld to the mere whims of overpowered authority figures that isolate themselves from the world? I say no. I say that we must take up arms against these unnatural tyrants and fight! And I urge those of you out there to join us in our fight! For if we fail, or if we remain silent, then it will count as a victory for the Carines and Lucianos of the world. And it will send a message that they are the only ones that can get results; which will result in the emergence of imitators who will copy their barbarity and their cruelty._

 _And so, whether you join us in our fight or not, I will make you a promise: I promise that I will see to it that Princess Carine and Luciano Bradley will pay for the crimes they have wrought upon the land. And then, when Japan is free from the travesties that have been inflicted on it, I will go the Britannian homeland and see to it that the Charles zi Britannia pays for his crimes and the crimes of his subordinates. He will say that he can kill whatever comes for him, but he is wrong; for this time, justice is coming for him._

 _And justice can never die._

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 _Justice may not be able to die_ , Kallen thought with drunken bitterness _, but everything else sure can._

This had to have been the roughest week in her life in both timelines. The attack on Ashford had been bad enough; there was almost no warning and it was humiliating that the Ace of the Black Knights was reduced to fleeing the school like the rest of them. Then the morning after revealed the casualties: 50 students were dead, with 30 more were wounded. Amongst the dead was Shirley, who had been struck through the neck with a piece of debris, killed in the same place where Kallen had left in order to go and dance with Lelouch. This fact was haunting her, but it wasn't what had sent her over the edge.

No, what had done that were the raids that occurred around Tokyo at the same time, the ones that were designed to target "persons with views and beliefs that were incongruous with those of the Holy Britannian Empire". It appeared that her father counted as one such person, due to some comments he had made about Prince Clovis' tax plan and his previous marriage to a Number. The raid had been swift; a five-man team had burst into the house and killed Lord Patrick Stadtfeld and his wife in a manner of eight minutes. Just for good measure, they also killed the only other witness in the house: a maid by the name of Hori Kozuki.

Kallen couldn't remember what she felt when she found her mother's body on the floor in a pool of blood. As a matter of fact, she could barely remember the past couple of days: All she could remember was talking to someone at the morgue, a series of attempts at consolation and comfort, signing some documents that confirmed her as the new Lady Stadtfeld, and a string of funerals that included her mother's. She wasn't sure about all the details, as Lelouch and Ohgi had handled all of that. She had mostly coasted through it all, only marked by a sense of shell-shocked numbness, trying desperately to work out what she had done wrong in this timeline, why this had to happen. Eventually, as they covered the grave with dirt, she excused herself for air as the tears were beginning to flow down her face. The next thing she knew, she was back in her house, a thin veneer of dust already beginning to coat the place. It was there that her fragile state finally broke, and she began to search for any form of release, anything to take her mind off what was happening. Refrain was no longer an option, as her mother had made good on her promise to quit, something that made this turn of events even worse for Kallen.

However, another form of escape was much more readily available: alcohol.

The Stadtfeld family first came to prominence brewing whiskey in the southern part of the Homeland, becoming a favored choice amongst the nobility at the time. From there, they had been able to parlay that success into a noble title of their own, which they then used to parlay into other, more lucrative measures. But the Stadtfeld family never truly gave up their ties to what had gained them success in the first place. Even his mansion in Area 11, which was little more than an outpost for their foreign interests, held an impressive cellar replete with a number of fine vintages.

It was one such vintage, a hundred-year-old whiskey, that Kallen was sloshing over herself as she rode in a taxi towards Ashford Academy. She couldn't remember opening the bottle, she couldn't remember deciding to go to Ashford, she definitely couldn't remember calling the cab. She couldn't even remember how much she had drunk before deciding to leave the house. It was at some point that she became lucid enough to perceive that she was in a cab on its way to her school. _I wonder how many drunken Brit teens this poor guy has had to drive_ she thought, looking out the window. _Probably more than he would care to count_.

Soon enough, they arrived at Ashford and Kallen paid the driver before stumbling towards the Student Council building, the only building to escape most of the damage. The school looked like a blasted ruin of itself, there was no telling how long it would take to fix everything. Soon enough, she was at the door, knocking at the door, the door opening to show Sayoko who looked upon Kallen with a look of surprise. "Ah the great ninja maid!" Kallen said, staggering through the door, "able to sneak into any goddamn place on earth, except into another man's heart. Or his pants."

"Master Lelouch, Mistress Kozuki has arrived!" Sayoko shouted up the stairs, a slight edge of worriedness creeping into her voice.

Soon enough, Lelouch was at the top of the staircase, clearly in the middle of a call, and a look of pure shock on his face. "There he is!" Kallen shouted, "Lelouch vi Britannia, Emperor of Britannia, Defender of the Vale, Chess Grand Master, and The Chosen Boy who lived!"

"Ohgi, I've found her" Lelouch spoke into phone, the shock on his face bleeding into his words.

"Is that Ohgi? He's worried about me, isn't he? Tell him if he's so intent on being my mother, a vacancy just opened up!"

"I have to call you back" Lelouch said, before closing his phone and descending the staircase. "Kallen, what's gotten into you?"

"Really Lulu? You can't tell? How the hell did you become a chess mastermind with people reading skills like that? I just lost my mother! You know what that's like, unless the Royal Family is so messed up that death doesn't matter anymore."

That was a low blow, and somewhere in the back of her mind Kallen knew that. But the whiskey was more or less in complete control of her mind at this time, so there wasn't much she could do.

"It seems that you need a lesson in love then," she continued, moving closer to Lelouch. "And since this is a school, then it's the perfect place for it. Now come show the teacher what you're made of." And with that, she pulled Lelouch into a passionate kiss while her hands started to move from his back to a lower position on his body…

She felt the kiss being broken off, and Lelouch was holding her at arms-length. Her makeup had smeared on his face, which was now filled with a mixture of stunned shock and worried terror. "Kallen, what's going on?"

"It's springtime isn't it? _Let's sing a gay little spring song! This is the season to sing!_ This is the season of love, life, and birth, no? So, as Lady Stadtfeld, it is my duty to see to it that there is an heir to the Stadfelt empire, and for that I need a baby. Do you see what you need to do, or do I have to spell it out for you?"

"Kallen" Lelouch said, clearly picking his words carefully, "you're not thinking properly-"

"Of course I'm not thinking properly! I skipped out on my mother's funeral and I'm drunk as hell! Now put a baby in me and let's hit the bad decision trifecta, finally proving what a disappointment I am! So come on Lulu! Let me feel it!" Suddenly, Kallen felt her the energy drain out of her like water in a bucket full of holes. "Let me feel something" were the last words whispered before she dropped the bottle of whiskey, its contents spreading across the floor as the bottle landed with a crash. _Fitting, since I've lost control of everything else_ Kallen thought as she lost consciousness and collapsed into what she hoped were Lelouch's arms.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Nunnally was enjoying her eyesight, but there were times where she half wished she was blind again. That desire often had been brought in brief seconds on by the sights of the aftermath of battles, but now that it had been invoked more strongly by something she hadn't been overly familiar with before: funerals.

Over the week or so since the attack on Ashford, Nunnally had lost track of the number of funerals she had to attend or hear about: funerals for her classmates, classmates' siblings, classmate's parents, comrades, comrades' family…the list never seemed to end. In particular, three funerals stood out more than anything. The first was that for old Principal Ashford and his son (who had oddly been visiting at the time), both dead from the bombing during the dance; this stood out because Milly, now the new Lady Ashford, collapsed midway through the service into a waterfall of tears and had to be carried away by Rivalz. The second was Shirley's funeral, where Ms. Fenette had viciously berated Mr. Fenette, screaming in her grief that it was his fault that her baby girl was dead and that they should never have come to this godforsaken place. Finally, there had been the one for Ms. Kozuki yesterday, where Kallen had vanished from right after the service only to appear at their house as part of a spectacular drunken meltdown.

 _With all that, it's no wonder this place seems so morose_ Nunnally thought as she looked looked around the table. Euphie, Suzaku, and Lelouch were all sitting there, picking at their food and looking morose. She couldn't blame any of them for doing so; after all, she was doing the exact same thing. Nunnally knew she should eat something; Milly had suddenly called for a Student Council meeting, and she would need to be able to focus for whatever Milly had planned. But she still couldn't, as the events of the past week still weighed heavily on her. Nunnally then heard a door close and saw Nelly come in with her knight Guilford and take a seat at the table. She was grateful her half-sister had been around since she had proven to be a stabilizing force. Everyone here had seen their fair share of battle, but the past few days had rocked them all to their core. Cornelia was the only one at the table who had seen more battles than anyone, with the sole exception of C.C, who was eating another pizza.

"I just checked, it'll be done in about 5 minutes" Nelly said, looking towards Lelouch, who nodded in her direction as a way of thanks.

"What are you making?" Nunnally asked. Whatever it was, she could smell it from here, the aromas of bacon, cheese, eggs, and a whole host of other things wafting into her nose.

"The Regimental Hangover Casserole. I learned it from my CO during my first tour in Brazil, when I was about Lelouch's age. It's proven more useful than you could imagine."

"Do you think that Kallen is okay?" Euphie asked, speaking the question that was on everyone's mind. While Nunnally, Suzaku, and Lelouch were all more familiar with Kallen (due to their experience with time travel), none of them had ever seen her lose control like this.

"Honestly, I would've been more worried if this _hadn't_ been her reaction" was Cornelia's response. "She's clearly a skilled fighter who's seen a fair amount of battle. But everyone has a breaking point, and given all that's happened this week, this isn't surprising. If the result is her getting drunk and trying to jump Lelouch's bones, then she'll be fine."

"You sound confident about this" C.C said, taking another slice.

"I'm a soldier; a larger portion of my time is dealing with drunks, pervs, and pervy drunks. Any soldier who never tries to release his feelings via bottle or bed tends to go insane pretty quickly. The only thing is to not let it become a regular habit."

"Did either you ever hit a breaking point?" Euphie asked Cornelia and Guilford, a mark of concerned curiosity forming on her face.

Cornelia sat back in thought for a few seconds before answering. "I hit the breaking point once. It was in Toledo, after I lost...a comrade close to me. I threw myself into battle for a few days, letting nothing else distract me; but when we had finally won, the grief caught up and I just felt...hollow. I sat down at the bar and I just started drinking. The next thing I can remember, I wake up in my room with a sprained ankle, a horse, and a pineapple. I can't remember how I wound up with any of them."

"A horse?"

"Apparently, I declared that I was going to name it my knight and have it protect me in my barracks. I'm still not a hundred percent sure that's what happened, but I have no reason to dispute it."

"As for myself" Guildford said, "My own breaking point came after my brother died. I'm afraid I also got drunk and... behaved rather unprofessionally."

"Meaning…?" Euphie prompted.

"I may have… gorged myself on a buffet and tried to flirt with a wooden statue. I was chastised by both her highness and the bar owner the next morning."

"I know what you mean about getting yelled out by bar owner after getting sloppy drunk" C.C commented, drawing everyone's attention.

"C.C, when did this happen?" Nunnally asked, intrigued.

"This was ….in Bavaria, in 1879, I believe."

"I thought you wouldn't be able to get drunk, due to your code."

"You're right. Ordinarily, my code means I can hold my drink. However, I tried to hold _all_ the drinks one night. The result was I woke up amongst a bunch of empty casks with a raging headache where my memory of the previous night should've been. I will say this: I lost the fear of death since I got my code, but getting yelled out by an angry German publican is the closest that I've come to re-experiencing that sensation."

"Why _were_ you getting that drunk?" Lelouch asked, surprised at C.C's loss of control.

"Same reason why the Princess, her knight, and your girlfriend were getting that drunk: I had reached a breaking point."

"Really? What caused that?"

"I never told you?"

"No."  
"...At _any_ time?"

"No." Lelouch answered again, deflecting the subtle reference to his time travel.

"Well, just pray I don't have a reason to tell you" C.C said, leaning back in her chair, "because if I do, that means things have really gone off the deep end."

Just then, a timer went off. "Ah, the casserole is done!" Cornelia said, springing out of her chair. "Lelouch, can you see if get Kallen up? She could do with some food."

Lelouch nodded and moved to the bedroom to wake up Kallen while Nelly moved to kitchen to get the casserole out of the oven, leaving the table to ponder the limits of the human heart.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lelouch walked over to the bundle of sheets crouched in the bed and gently shook it. "Wake up Kallen" he said in a gentle voice.

"Go away" a groggy voice spoke from sheets.

"Come on" Lelouch said, shaking the sheets a little more forcefully.

Kallen got up, her eyes looking sleepy and her hair a mess. For some reason, she seemed to be avoiding eye contact with Lelouch. "Whassgoingon?" she slurred out, clearly hungover.

"Cornelia cooked up something especially for you. She says it's perfect for helping you recover from last night."

At that, Kallen suddenly burst into tears. "Kallen? What's wrong?" asked a bewildered Lelouch.

"I screwed up so much last night" Kallen replied, her voice crawling through her tears. "You were talking about fighting back and being strong, and what do I do? I go and get drunk and act like a fool and now you're going to break up with me and -"

"Kallen, slow down!" Lelouch interrupted, growing even more bewildered. "I'm not sure what's going through your head, but none of that is going to happen."

"Really? Even after what I did last night?"

"Do you really think I care so little for you?" Lelouch said, pulling her into a hug. "Everyone has a breaking point; and you are handling yours better than I handled mine. You're one of the strongest people I know, and I'm going to need your strength, whether it's physical or emotional, in this upcoming fight against the Empire."

Kallen didn't have a response, only returning the hug through her tears. But to Lelouch, he didn't need one. They sat embraced for about a minute before Kallen broke it and started to wipe the tears from her eyes. "By the way, why didn't you sleep with me last night?" she asked.

"You didn't mean it. You were feeling hollow and were trying to fill the void in your soul with first a drug and then sex, which was the last thing you need."

"How do you know?"

"I was once in a similar position like you and tried to do the same thing. However, I was denied, and I wound up all the better for it."

"Really? How did that happen?"

"You slapped the Refrain injector out of my hands, before slapping me."

This finally brought a smile to Kallen's face. "What happens now?"

"As far as what happens with the Black Knights, I'm still working on that. Carne has made things a right mess of things, so it'll take a little bit to figure out our next move. As far as today goes, you're going to get up and have a military casserole that will help you function for a emergency Student Council meeting that was called about an hour ago."

"Okay" Kallen said, trying to get out of bed. She managed to leave on her own two feet, but the piercing rays of sunlight threw her off balance. She wobbled for a bit before being caught by Lelouch. "I don't suppose you'd be able to Geass the sun into toning it down, would you?" she asked.

Lelouch smiled sadly. "Unfortunately no, I can't. I do have the next best thing" he said, pressing a pair of sunglasses he had brought along. Kallen smiled, and happily took them.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Breakfast was a quick affair that found Kallen able to function slightly better, though she still needed the sunglasses to see as the sun refused to tone itself down. Soon enough, she had walked into the Student Council room with Lelouch, Suzaku, and Nunnally. It was when they walked in that Lelouch noticed that there was a much different atmosphere in the room than what it usually was. Ordinarily, it'd have been filled with a sunny energy of the President eager to engage the student population. Today, it just felt like the party before a funeral. That in of itself was not surprising, given how many of those damn things they had attended over the past few days. But what was more interesting to Lelouch was the faces of everyone there. Nina and Rivalz had looks of nervous concern etched into their faces. Gino (who's appearance here was surprising enough, given all that had happened) bore a mask of stoic concentration. But it was Milly's face whose stood out the most; her expression was a mixture of serious determination and intense energy, the kind that usually came in her smile as she described one of her bizarre schemes to engage the student population. Yet there was no smile when she greeted them. "Mr. Lamprouge. Ms. Lamprouge. Lady Stadtfeld. Ser Kururugi. Thank you coming."

"No problem, Lady Ashford" Lelouch said as he took his seat, returning the formal edge that accompanied the greeting.

"How's Rickon?" Nunnally asked Nina.

"He's fine…He might be deaf in one ear and have a limp for the rest of his life, but the doctors say he'll recover."

"If we could begin?" Milly said, her voice still infused with a serious tone. Silence fell over the room, signaling their attention. "Given…all that has happened" she continued, quietly glancing at the empty seat where Shirley usually sat, "I think that we all can agree that our main business needs to be our response to…the bombing."

There was around of murmuring assents. "I propose a memorial" Lelouch said, taking out his notes. "It'll take a while to contact the parents and relatives, but –"

"Actually" Milly interrupted, "I had something else in mind."

"I'm sorry. What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that we all join the Black Knights."

"…WHAT?" Lelouch asked, his shocked tone matching the surprise running through the other time travelers in the room.

"You heard me. I said we're joining the Black Knights."

Lelouch looked around the room, seeking out the faces of the rest of the council. To his greater surprise, no one seemed to disagree with Milly. "All of you agree with her?" he asked to no one to particular, which got him a round of nods from around the room. He turned his attention to perhaps the most surprising of the assenters. "Gino," he began as he turned towards the blonde-haired knight, "you're a Knight of the Round. Surely, you –"

"I intend to go along with this plan" Gino said, his interruption laced with an intense bitterness. "I've resigned my position as the Knight of Three. I had to, after what happened." He paused for a minute before continuing. "I was called back to the base the night of the dance. I thought there was some emergency or other, but what it was…was far worse than I could've imagined. I was ushered to a room, where I was told by a smirking Bradley that I was in for a very exciting show. Then I see an aerial shot of the school…along with a cavalcade of Knightmares led by Anya. All I tried to get over here to save who I could but…but by the time I go here, they were all gone. I may not have been able to save anyone…but at the very least I can try to avenge them."

"Well, I don't doubt anyone else's conviction if someone like you has been swayed" Lelouch said with an impressed sigh, before returning his attention to Milly. "But just how are you planning to join the Black Knights?"

"Simple: I plan to ask Zero?"

"That's all good and well Milly, but how do you plan to ask Zero?"

"I'm asking you right now."

"…What?"

"I'm asking you right now: Can we join the Black Knights?"

Shock was threating to take over his brain, so it took everything he had ask the only question that could come to his mind: "W-What are you talking about?"

"Oh, don't play dumb, Lelouch!" Milly snapped, slamming her hand on the table as anger suddenly flooded her face. "Do you think I'm blind or stupid? I've noticed the communication that Nunnally has had set up a few doors down. I've noticed that you can never be accounted for whenever the Black Knights are doing something. Including when you disappeared into Shinjuku the same day Clovis was killed. You forget Lelouch, I know you better than almost anyone in this room. And the more you think about it, the more it makes sense that you're Zero."

Lelouch mulled over Milly's words for a few seconds, before realizing there was only one option available to him. "Yes, I'm Zero. What of it?"

Before he knew what was happening, Lelouch found himself on the floor with a sharp pain in his cheek, courtesy of Milly's palm. The rest of the room was still from the shock of both the revelations and the slap. As for Milly herself, she was holding her hand in pain, not expecting the force of her slap to sting that much. But before long, she had redirected her attention and fury back to Lelouch. "How could you? This all your fault!" she shouted, rage dripping from her voice.

"How is this my fault?" Lelouch answered, staggering as he stood up.

"Why else would they have attacked here? You have got god knows how much communication equipment here. You got two, three princesses hiding out here. You –"

"Alright Milly, Enough! Think for a minute!" Lelouch shouted, placing an emphasis of authority in his voice to regain control of the situation. "I've been waging a war with the Britannian Empire in secret for several months now. I have sources inside the Viceroy's government, and I've been hacking their coms with the equipment you just mentioned. Do you really think I would really keep Nunnally or anyone or anything else around if I had even an inkling this place being compromised? Do you really think I would be anywhere near here now?"

Lelouch suddenly turned to Gino. "Gino, did you hear anything about me, Nunnally, Princesses Euphemia or Cornelia, or anything at all related to the Black Knight when you were still on base during the course of the strike?"

"N-No," Gino said, a stammer developing out of his surprise at the sudden focus on him. "I-I even swiped the mission briefing on my way out. No mention of you or anything Black Knight- related mentioned. Just that the school was filled with … 'undesirables'."

"You see Milly? It wasn't because of me. You know that, otherwise we wouldn't be talking about you joining the Black Knights. You're just lashing out at me because I'm the closest one around."

There was a moment of silence while Lelouch and Milly caught their breaths, while the rest of the room still reeled from the shock of the argument unfolding in front of them. "So?" Milly finally asked?"

"So, what?"

"So, do we get to join the Black Knights?"

"…No."

"NO?" Milly responded, her face incredulous.  
"Milly, I don't think you, or anyone else here, seems to understand what you're signing up for" Lelouch said, his voice becoming low as he leaned forward with an intent face. "This not just be seamless victories and grand speeches. There will be setbacks. There will be losses. There will be deaths. You'll be seeing scenes like the ones we've seen over the past week on a near regular basis. You will need to show no mercy because you'll receive none from our enemies. I cannot guarantee you'll come out of this alive. And if you do…you won't be same."

"I don't care" Milly said, her voice infused with steel. "I'm willing to put up with that all of that if it means that no one ever has to go through what we've gone through again."

Lelouch nodded, then looked around the room. "If anyone else here doesn't agree with that, then walk out the door right now."

No one left. Instead, they all stiffened their backs and adopted looks of determination and confidence. "I guess that's that" Lelouch said with a sigh, a sense of disbelief building in him from having to say the next words. "Welcome to the Black Knights everyone."

There was a brief moment as everyone let the information sink in. Milly then looked at Lelouch and asked intently "What happens now?"

Suddenly, Lelouch's cellphone went off. "The answer to that" he said with a sigh, "will likely depend on what I hear from this call."

Lelouch then answered the phone and asked "What is it?" There were a few seconds of silence before he said "Slow down Ohgi, slow down. What was that?" There were a second or two more of silence before Lelouch said something that no one had ever expected.

"What do you mean the E.U is invading Japan?"

* * *

... And on that note, I'll think we'll end it there.

Thanks everyone for reading! Please be sure to leave a review

P.S: There's one _Bambi_ reference in this chapter. First reviewer to spot it gets an imaginary cookie (Sorry, I'm on a budget here ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ ) (Hint: Check Kallen's dialogue.)


	16. Chapter 14: Overture to a War

Hey Everyone, a few things before we get started.

A/N - I own nothing, as always

A/N 2- There's a decent amount of crazy things going on in my life right now, so updates might not come out as quickly as _either_ of us would like. Just know that I'm working on this story with whatever time and energy I can spare.

A/N 3 - Congratulations to Ryder77, for correctly identifying the Bambi reference in the previous chapter! A free imaginary cookie is on its way! (Sorry, but I'm on a budget).

Alright, let's get rolling! On with the story!

* * *

 **Chapter 14 – Overture to a Storm**

 _ **Cry "Havoc" and let slip the dogs of war – William Shakespeare**_

 _ **Sometimes to love someone, you got to be a stranger – Rick Deckard**_

Leila Malcal sat at her desk in near darkness and looked up at the ceiling of the place that they were staying in that night, an old temple located about an hour outside of Sapporo. She wanted to write in her journal, as she often did each night. But tonight, like the past few nights before it, she found that she couldn't; instead, her thoughts seemed to race through her mind at light speed, and she instead wound up looking off into the distance running through her thoughts. The events since arriving in Japan had undoubtedly given more than enough to think on.

The battles hadn't been much, as the Britannians hadn't been expecting a fight. This was partially because they had landed in Hokkaido, which had been mostly neglected for the fighting in the south. Leila knew that it wouldn't continue for long, as the Britannians wouldn't likely respond kindly to their presence in their territory. She really wasn't looking forward to that; several of her comrades had survived Luciano Bradley's assault on Portugal, and their descriptions of the fighting (or rather the carnage), they were going to be in for one of a hell of a battle. She was worried about how her W-0 squad, and what Anou was going to do when confronted with a battle. She knew that he was already planning something he called a "fail-safe" device, a term that somehow made her feel uneasy. But this wasn't the primary thing distracting her from her writing.

It wasn't also the fact that they were no longer in Europe, but rather in Japan. Leila hadn't been outside of the E.U since she was a very young girl, so coming to Japan had been something of a culture shock to her. Seeing the different types of landscapes and architectures had been fascinating, and she had found herself looking at various buildings and mountains for extended periods of time. This seemed to amuse her Japanese subordinates to no end; especially Ryo, who always seemed to smirk at her whenever he found her looking at something for longer than usual. But this also wasn't the primary source of distraction for Leila.

No, the real issue that was derailing her thought process was Zero, the enigmatic rebel who had captured the attention of everyone here in Japan (and a whole lot of people outside of it). He had come out of nowhere only a few months ago, and yet he was already being labelled the biggest threat to the Britannian Empire since Napoleon Bonaparte. It wasn't hard to see why; in the short time since he stepped onto the scene, he had won several battles (including a major engagement at someplace called Narita) and forced two Viceroys from power in quick succession. These successes, coupled with his frequent use of theatrics and showmanship, had caused Zero to develop a powerful mystique about himself. Thousands, Britannians and Japanese alike, had rallied to his cause, while many more engaged in mythization of the man as either a god or a demon. Leila had trouble keeping track of the various rumors about him: He was the bastard son of the Britannian Emperor or the late Japanese Prime Minister (depending on the version of the rumor), he could turn water into liquid sakuridite, he could force people to their knees with just a look from his eyes, he was the leader of a coven of witches, he was an immortal and otherworldly being who could shrug off any attack. This sort of mystique also had another surprising side effect: it generated large amounts of … "memorabilia". Whilst they were in Sapporo, she lost track the number of items that qualified as unofficial merchandise (she doubted Zero would be brazen or stupid enough to actually license his image out). Posters, action figures, scarves, banners, armbands, stickers, paintings; if you could name it, chances are someone had made one with either Zero or the Black Knights logo slapped on it. Leila had actually bought an item, a small plushie of the rebel leader that now sat on her desk to remind her of him.

Because Zero was someone who you always needed keep an eye out for at all times. For all his obvious theatrics, Zero had shown himself to be a commander of surprising cunning and skill. Leila had studied what little footage there was of the Black Knights in an attempt to figure out what type of strategist Zero was. Her research had led her to three conclusions: The first was that Zero favored blitzkrieg techniques, attacking his targets with the speed and precision of lightning that were often shrouded in secrecy. Part of the reason why there was so little material on Zero was that the man only let people see him when he wanted them to see him. The second takeaway from her studies was that there was no one set style of fighting that the Black Knights employed. Britannian techniques, Japanese techniques, European techniques, Indian techniques; Zero could apply any of these methods (and often blended them as well) in whatever engagement was happening at that time. He never fought the same battle twice, his fighting style often taking a liquid-like quality. But the biggest lesson that Leila learned about Zero was not about his tactics; it was about his motivations. Everyone knew that the leader of the Black Knights talked a big deal about justice and protecting the innocent. That in of itself was not special; the world over was littered with bullies and warlords who made similar claims. What set Zero apart from the rest of them was that he actually backed up his claims through his actions, particularly in his choice of targets. While he always showed a predilection for Britannian targets, he had demonstrated that he was willing to protect anyone he felt was being unjustly attacked (Lake Kawaguchi was the defining example of this). His primary choice of attacks were almost always criminals and corrupt nobles who preyed on the weak and innocent, especially those who dealt in Refrain.

Leila shuddered as she thought about that wicked drug. She had heard of its effects in passing, mostly from members of W-0 talking about its use in the ghettos of Paris and Prague, but it was only just the other day that she had seen her first Refrain addict. It had been a twentysomething woman who had once been pretty, wandering the cold streets of Sapporo in ragged clothing. Her eyes and her gait had been as unfocused as her speech, as she kept rambling on about what clothes were going to be cutest for her new baby. It had been a pitiful sight, and Leila had moved to help the poor woman, only to be held back by Ayano. "The Refrain has her now" she had told her commander, "she's beyond help now." It was a horrid drug, degrading someone's life to nothing more than rose-colored replays of their greatest hits. And it was apparently all over Japan, with thousands in its insidious, addictive grasp. If Zero was taking it upon himself to rid Japan (if not the world) of Refrain, then more power to him.

It was things like this that made Leila worried about what might happen with Zero. It was through her research that she came to a sense of respect about the enigmatic rebel. He was apparently a man who fought on the behalf of the disenfranchised and vulnerable, no matter whom they might be. In a way, it was what Leila had hoped that the W-0 unit would be able to one day, as well as the fuel for a semi-hope that they would be able to work alongside Zero and his Black Knights as allies during this campaign. But thatseemed less likely with each passing day. Zero (who almost certainly knew of their presence here in Japan) had not reached out to any of the E.U commanders, instead making a broadcast a few days ago announcing that he was forming both the independent United States of Japan as well as an international body called the United Federation of Nations for "countries and people who believe in the principles of equality and justice". No one in the E.U command here really knew what to make of this; the only person who hadn't been in any way confused was General Similas, who had watched the initial announcement with a stoic expression. It was clear to Leila that both the General and Zero had their own visions for the future of Japan, and she was sure that neither of them included the other.

A knock on her door broke her out of her reverie. Silently cursing in surprise, Leila left her seat and opened the door. She was pleasantly surprised to see that it was Akihito on the other side, having feared it was some messenger or other. Smiling, she asked "Hello Akihito. Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

Akihito smiled at her. "I should. But since we're leaving here tomorrow to head South, I wanted to show you something cool in this temple."

Leila nodded and followed him down the hallway. She didn't really know what it was, but she really enjoyed being with Akihito these days. To be fair, that had always been kind of true, but it had really picked up in recent weeks. On their way over here from Warsaw, she had gotten him to tell him all the stories he had about his childhood in Japan. A part of her rationalized it was intelligence gathering for their next field of battle, but Leila found herself just enjoying his company and learning about him. She also found herself sometimes daydreaming that they were alone, and he would look at her and say… she really needed to close the lid on that particular fantasy; after all, she was engaged.

Akihito eventually led her down some stairs, and into a small grove directly outside. The whole scene was dominated by a giant camphor tree that stood on top of a hill. Flowing down that hill was a pristine waterfall that was small and lithe. Fireflies danced around the moonlit grove, which gave the whole scene a mystical and serene air.

"What is this place?" Leila asked, her eyes enraptured by the scenery before them.

"It's the reason why this temple was built. Back during the Kamakura Bafuku, about a thousand years ago, the people who lived here thought that this tree was the home of the kami who guards over these woods."

"…Wow. This place is a thousand years old?"

"Give or take."

Leila didn't say anything for some time, allowing herself to absorb in the scene. Finally, she asked, "How do you know about this place?"

Akihito smiled. "I came here many years ago on a family trip. It was the first time I had ever been on a trip far from home, so I was more than a little nervous. My father decided to take me to this place to help me calm my nerves."

"…Is that why you brought me here?"

"Kind of. You've been preoccupied with our move tomorrow. But I also wanted to show this place to someone." He paused as he looked around some more, before continuing. "My father told me he met the kami that lives in these woods."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He told me that when he was a young boy himself, he got lost in these woods and ran into the spirit. According to him, it was a great furry thing that looked like a cross between a rabbit and a bear that only said 'to-to-ro' or something like that. It let him back here and then gave him a back of acorns to plant."

"Do…Do you think that kame is still out there?"

"It's kami Mam, not kame. Kame is a turtle. As for whether it's still out there, who knows? Maybe it still is. Maybe we'll be able to see it if we ever come back here."

"Do you think we'll be able to come back here?"

"I have no idea. I'm just thankful that I was able to come here again just once. I was worried I would never return."

Akihito then set his gaze upon the waterfall. Leila wanted to do the same but yet found herself looking at Akihito. The moonlight cascaded over him, creating a striking figure that highlighted delicate features and broad shoulders. _I can't be sure what the future holds_ , she thought, _but I hope that we'll be able to face it together_.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I have a question to ask."

The Geass Master looked up from his task to see the Dimensional Supervisor walking towards him, a note of concern on her face. "What could you possibly ask of me?" he asked back with a tone of annoyance. "You're the Dimensional Supervisor, the Caretaker of Spacetime. What could you possibly ask of me?"

"You seem annoyed," the Dimensional Supervisor said, "like you have something else you need to be doing."

"I do," the Geass Master said, holding up a stick of dynamite. "The Empire is sending some unwelcome guests our way. I'd like to give them the welcome they deserve."

"Where, and how, did you get the dynamite?"

"Nothing's impossible to acquire with a Geass and a few honeyed words. As for specifics, you would know if you didn't spend your time only observing the Leila Malcals of the Earth."

"That's actually I wanted to ask you about: Leila Malcal."

The Geass Master sighed and now looked at the Dimension Supervisor with his full attention. "You're wondering about her Geass and her chances of survival now that she's in Japan," he said, garnering a shocked look from the multi-colored haired girl.

"How did you know? You've never been able to read my mind." This was something that Dimensional Supervisor truly appreciated since Absolute Hearing was one of the few Geasses that didn't work on her.

"True, but I don't exactly need to read your mind to discern your questions. I've been busy these past few weeks, so I haven't been able to monitor the situation on Earth with the full attention I'm used to. And lately, I've had to refocus the monitors back to where I was before; often turning them away Leila Malcal. Particularly after the Europa United began invading Japan."

There was a brief silence for a short period. Finally, the Dimensional Supervisor spoke, choosing her words carefully. "I…was curious. Very few people could ever see me, so I wanted to get to know the one person alive that can. And while learning about her…I came to truly appreciate who she was as a person…and what made her happy."

The Geass Master sighed as he listened to the Dimensional Supervisor's words while he looked at her face. He had seen that emotion so many times, and he knew full well that he couldn't let it run its course. "I'd advise you to stop your …'learning' there. Malcal is firmly on the Earth, and unless she, her friends, or her enemies come here, there is nothing you could do to help her."

"You're right; there's nothing I can do now. But, there's something I'd like _you_ to do."

The Geass Master paused, suspicion creeping into his mind. He couldn't remember the last time, if ever, the Dimensional Supervisor had asked for something. "What is it?"

"I…I want you to repair Leila's Geass. I want you to make it whole."

The Geass Master looked at her for a good few seconds. "Even if I could," he said in a curt tone, "why would I? What would be gained from that?"  
The Dimension Supervisor looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean could? You're the Geass Master. You're the one who told me it was broken to begin with. Surely you, of all the beings in any world and dimension, could fix it?"

"I can't fix a broken Geass. Usually, when a Geass is bestowed on someone, it latches onto what their deepest desire is at that moment. However, Malcal's Geass was bestowed her Geass by C.C immediately after a car bomb took out her parents and injured her. In other words, she was in shock and wasn't in any mental condition to move; she certainly wasn't in a position for self-evaluation. As such, the Geass failed to take hold properly and became a fragmented Geass. When that happens, there's not much I or anyone else can do."

"That can be the case. Surely, C.C wouldn't have just given her a Geass on a whim –"

"That looks like that's exactly what happened. I wouldn't hold C.C's judgment as a measure of a contractor's worth to wield a Geass; the woman seems to give out Geasses like they're Halloween candies."

There was a few seconds of silence as the two immortal beings looked at each. Then, the Dimensional Supervisor broke it, asking with a deaden voice "So, you'll do nothing?"

"I'll do nothing. Especially since you didn't even bother to answer the question: Why would be gained from fixing Malcal's Geass?"

"It-It'd be fixed! Wouldn't that be enough?"

"Quite frankly, no. What makes her so special? What makes her so special that we should focus our attention on her?"

The Dimensional Supervisor glared at the Geass Master with a mixture of anger and sheepishness. "Ever since we've begun this chain of events, I… I've watched the humans more closely than I ever have. And it has allowed me to see how truly special Leila is. She's genuinely free-spirited, kind, selfless, and brave. And it makes me want to protect her as much as I can from all the ugliness that festers on every corner of the Earth. And the fact that I can't do it myself makes me feel like a cold knife is being twisted in my stomach. So, I'm asking you, the only person who could do something, to do something to protect Leila."

The Geass Master sighed. "I've seen a thousand people like Malcal over the past thousand years. And in a thousand years, I'll have seen a thousand more. There have been many who are like her, who've had all the qualities you've listed. They also had something else in common with Ms. Malcal: naivete. They all thought that they could change the world with principals and good deeds alone, not realizing that the dirtier tactics of their opponents are what enables the opponents not only to win but stay winners. Either one of two things happen to such people: they either break down and adopt the tactics they so thoroughly despise, or they stick to their principles and use it to find themselves an early grave. But, I wouldn't worry about all this too much; you're new to watching humans. You'll get used to watching them die."

This finally pushed the Dimensional Supervisor over the edge. Without warning, she fired an energy beam at the Geass Master, who wasn't quick enough to dodge it but was fast enough to brace for the impact. This allowed him to recover quickly and launch a counterattack. He began by momentarily stunning her with Absolute Blindness, before enabling Absolute Time-stop while drawing his sword. But as he started to rush her, he felt his legs suddenly give out from under him and suddenly he was forced lying down on the ground. Lifting his neck with difficulty, he saw that the same thing had happened to the Dimensional Supervisor. And then, a single word rang in both of their heads.

 _Enough_.

That one word, spoken with that intensity, could only mean one thing: The Gods had decided that they were ending the argument then and now.

 _That's enough from both of you. While you squabble, you forget our real enemy lingers in the background._

"Who? The Emperor and his Ragnarok Machine?" The Dimensional Supervisor asked with no small amount of scorn in her voice.

 _Not Charles zi Britannia._ _ **Him**_.

"That's not possible. We would've been able to sense if he tried to break free of his cage."

 _You've forgotten how cunning he is. While you've both been focused on the Earth, our enemy has been gathering his strength from other realms, other worlds. Should Ragnarok be fulfilled, he will be able to break free from his cell and unleash himself upon the earth. And you both remember what fighting him unleashed was like_.

"I'd rather not," The Geass Master said as he slowly picked himself off the floor. "How much time do we have?"

 _Less than you like. The Stag has already been seen moving around_.

"Fuck. Do you have a plan?"

 _But of course. Look to the pages marked in the book we've left for you_.

The Geass Master picked up the bookmarked book that had suddenly appeared. He recognized the book, realizing that whatever plan the Gods had in mind was going to be messy. His next words were directed at the Dimensional Supervisor, who had done the same. "It seems that the stakes are a bit more than we had anticipated. So, I suggest that we get to work and prepare for the fights ahead."

"And Leila?"

"I won't help her, but I won't move against her either. And as for your concerns about Malcal, you have two options: Either kill her now so you can end your worries and preserve all you love about her… or get used to that knife in your stomach."

The Dimensional Supervisor glared back at him, her eyes still gleaming with anger. "Fine. But if she dies, and you could've done something about it, you will have to pay." And with that, she strode off to view other matters.

The Geass Master waited till she was out of eyesight and earshot before speaking again. "What else do you want?"

 _Why didn't you tell her of your suspicions concerning the girl?_

"You saw how angry she was at the possibility of Malcal dying. Can you imagine her reaction if she knew there was a chance of _that_ happening?"

 _Do you have a plan if your suspicions are warranted?_

"All I can think right now is that if my guess is correct, then the poor girl really is better off dead." He then looked at the stick of dynamite that was still his hand. "I'm probably going to need a lot more of this than I anticipated."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Alright, we have a lot to cover and not a whole lot of time to cover it so let's get started. Does anyone have a topic they want to start with?"

This was how Zero began the meeting, sitting down at the head of the table in the submarine's conference room. Seated at the table were the senior commanders and critical department heads of the Black Knights, with a few others joining in via a large screen installed at the other end of the table.

"Let's begin with what areas of Japan have joined the USJ?" Ohgi suggested.

"That's a good idea. K-2?"

"Currently, we have 14 of the 47 prefectures under our control," Kurohime said, looking over her notes. "These include the islands of Kyushu, Okinawa, and Shikoku, as well as the prefectures of Yamaguchi, Tottori, and Gunma. Hiroshima is willing to join us, but they're worried about being attacked by the garrison at Kobe if they declare themselves for the USJ."

"I believe we can alleviate that concern" Zero said with something akin to a smirk. For all the chaos that the Night of Blood had caused (the name that had been assigned to Carne's brutal series of attacks during the night of the Spring Formal), it had been very useful in creating a lot of support for the Black Knights. A lot of their newest recruits had been those who had lost someone during the Night of Blood, had been horrified by the actions of the latest Viceroy, or were suddenly worried that position within the Britannian Empire was more precocious than they had expected. The range of recruits was astounding, from Japanese who had been trapped in the ghettos to Britannian nobles. Even two of the governors (for Okinawa and Gunma) had managed to lead their prefectures in a full-scale mutiny against the Empire. Of course, it was causing some logistical problems, but they were the type of issues that Zero preferred (better to have too many recruits than too few).

"It seems to me that we need to bring these cities into the fold of the USJ before they attack our allies in the south or serve as reinforcements for when we take Tokyo. Ms. Shinozaki, how many Britannian forces are stationed at Kobe?" Zero asked his Head of Intelligence.

Akane Shinozaki looked up from her video game at him with a glance, took the lollipop out of her mouth and said, "A rough guess puts the number of Knightmares at Kobe at around 50, while Hiroshima has around 30". The younger sister of the Lamprouge's maid had appeared soon after the Night of Blood, offering to help out with the Black Knights with their intelligence matters. While it was unclear what she had been up to since the invasion of Japan (whatever it was, it was causing no amount of tension between the two sisters), she had a large network of informants and operatives and was willing to use it. The situation wasn't ideal as Lelouch would have rather had Sayoko in that role. But she was now serving as Nunnally's bodyguard since Lelouch didn't trust anyone else with the position. Plus, Sayoko vouched for her, saying that their disagreements were "a family matter." Lelouch had no idea what that meant, but neither of them had been forthcoming with details, and he knew better than not to ask. He could guess that part of it had stemmed the personality of the younger Shinozaki. Though supposedly five years younger, Akane acted at least ten years younger than that; she would never sit properly in a chair (always lying around or in a cross-legged position), wore large hats and hoodies that all seemed to have large floppy ears, constantly twirled her long orange hair, and always looked to have either a video game and a candy on her at all time. How she was able to function as an intelligence officer was a mystery to most, but Zero didn't care. Akane's information was always reliable and actionable, and always came in when it needed to come in. For Zero, he couldn't ask for anything more.

Zero mulled over the information just given for him. Each company in the Black Knights had about 30 knightmares, so sending a company to the area might be a solution. It was merely a matter of who would be the best to lead the operation. "Who's in charge of the garrison of Kobe?" he asked.

"Alister Fullmark. Or rather Lord Alister Fullmark VI, as he is prone to calling himself. From what I can tell, it's mostly thanks to familial connections that he was appointed to his post. He always talks a big game, but his records show that he's barely seen any action."

That was all Zero needed to hear. "General Ladyhawke," he said, addressing his sister and the former 2nd princess of the Britannian Empire, "I'm sending you to Kobe with the 2nd and 3rd companies. Merge with whatever forces can be spared from Hiroshima and Kagawa and take Kobe."

Cornelia smiled behind the black veil that she used as a disguise. "With an opponent like that, you can expect Kobe to be yours within a week or two," she said.

"I love the optimism. In the meantime, Majors Sugiyama and Inoue will take their respective companies and begin an attack on Osaka. General Todoh, I'm giving you three companies to begin with for the assault on Kyoto. Once General Ladyhawke and Captains Sugiyama and Inoue have completed their respective assignments, they are to take their companies and assist General Todoh unless otherwise instructed."

"That takes of the South," Zero continued as he shuffled his papers. "As far as the Kanto region is concerned, we'll focus primarily on Tokyo, Yokohama, and Chiba. Deputy Commander Ohgi, I'm putting you in charge of the offensives in the 23 wards as you have the most experience here with urban guerrilla warfare. I want at least half of the wards under our control before we make an attempt on the Settlement."

"We already have Takadonababa and Akihabara under our control" Ohgi said. "I can begin work from there."

"Excellent. As for the other two cities, we'll start with Yokohama before moving on to Chiba. This operation will be carried by the new 5th Company, led by Lt. – now Captain – Chiba."

"Me?" Captain Chiba asked, surprised that this was the reason. "What is this?"

"Well, with the influx of recruits, we've created some new companies to keep them all organized. As such, you'll be heading up one of them."

"W-Why me?"

"Because you've proven yourself in battle, because you've shown that you can be calm under fire and because you can get people to listen to you. You're excellent solider, let's see if you can handle something a little bigger."

"B-But I'm ne-needed with General Todoh –"

"General Todoh was the one who recommended you for this post" Zero responded, gesturing to man in question, who was sitting to his left.

"It's time to spread your wings Chiba- _san_ ," Todoh chimed in, looking at his former subordinate. "You're going to do fine."

At this, Captain Chiba straightened up and blazed with a steely resolve. "You'll have Yokohama by the end of the month, Zero _-sama_."

"I love the enthusiasm" Zero said with genuine kindness. "Let's move on to international matters. What is the current status of the United Federation of Nations?"

It was again Kurohime who answered. "Currently, India, Thailand, and Vietnam have openly acknowledged the UFN and are working to join. Indonesia, Malaysia, and Jakarta will all join when they have succeeded in removing Britannian forces from their borders. And we've been getting reports that there is growing support within China."

Zero acknowledged the response and then turned to the screen at the end of the room, or rather, one part of the screen. "And how are things going in China, General Katase?"

The general gave a small smile through the screen. While a little annoyed that he was missing out on the fight in Japan, he was more than happy to help them out while stationed in China, especially after their failed invasion of Kyushu.

"Your man managed to get rid of a good number of the eunuchs, but he still left enough to cause us some trouble. I've been working with General Xi and the Empress to take care of what's left of them."

"Hey, whatever did happen to Mao?" Tamaki asked in his usual loudmouthed way.

"Mao is currently on a special assignment in China. Kurohime, Generals Ladyhawke, Katase, and Todoh, as well as Major Kozuki, Sugiyama, and Inoue have been briefed on the matter" Zero replied. It had actually been a surprise to get the call from Mao, but he had informed Zero that during his mission that he had come across some odd activity happening around the Geass Directorate. He didn't know what was going on, only that it seemed to involve the possibility of "activating the catacombs." Zero didn't have any idea what that could entail but gave Mao the green light to investigate, especially as this new information had particularly spooked C.C. His Director of Special Intelligence had refused to explain it, only urging Lelouch to give Mao permission before locking herself in a room with documents and books that had been in a suitcase that she had hidden prior to her capture by Clovis. Zero hoped that these "catacombs" were just some inane prank on Mao's part, but he felt that it probably wasn't.

"In any event" Zero continued, returning his mind to the meeting at hand, "it appears you have your work cut out for you. How long do you anticipate the timeline being?"

"A few weeks. I was going to ask for a company of Knightmares to help speed things along, but that seems like a bad idea given…the situation in the north."

"I think it's we address the elephant in the room," Ohgi said resignedly. "What are we going to do about the Europa United?"

Zero sighed. He knew he would be kicking himself over this for some time. Lelouch had been so focused on what was happening inside Japan that he hadn't forgotten to keep an eye on what else was happening in the world. Apparently, in this timeline, the E.U was faring a bit better than last time. They had managed not only to hold on to most of their African holdings but also keep Schniezel out of Russia and Eastern Europe. It was still unclear how exactly this happened, but it seemed that it was in part due to the fact that Schniezel was being forced to split his time more than before; Lelouch had been getting reports that his successes were causing a decent level of chaos in both the bureaucracy and the parliament back the Britannian Homeland.

It was also his successes that had caused the E.U to invade Japan.

Zero could completely understand why the E.U had chosen to take this course of action. To their eyes, Japan was currently caught up in a civil war between a radical terrorist and an inexperienced and unpopular Viceroy. There was also power vacuum in the Pacific region at this point, as Britannian control of its colonies was slipping, and China was caught up in its own civil war (again, thanks to Lelouch's machinations). Seeing an opportunity, the E.U had pounced. Shortly after the SAZ had collapsed, they had moved a small army (including at least 200 Knightmares) across the Trans-Siberian Railroad to Vladivostok, where a navy of a similar size had been amassed. From there, they had a blitzkrieg style assault on Sapporo, taking place within the course of a single night. The rest of Hokkaido had fallen within a few days after that. With success as easy as that, Lelouch knew that they wouldn't be content with just that.

"I think that first, we need to talk with the Oversight Committee, see if they want anything" Chiba suggested, as she was new to this level of strategy and was unsure how it operated.

"I've already talked to the Oversight Committee" Zero replied, referring to the group that consisted of the Kyoto Group and Princess Euphemia. "As far as they are concerned, they will back any plan that we come up with, provided that it's within reason. All they've asked is that we don't let the situation get any worse than it already has in the North."

And things had already gotten bad in the North of Japan, with a four-way war having broken out. There were the Europeans, who had managed to capture Hokkaido. There were the Black Knights, who had been caught by surprise and (to Zero's regret) were underequipped and unsure how to respond to the growing chaos in the region. The Britannians were also still in the North, trying their best keep a lid on things. And finally, there was a new group: _Taiyo no chi_ , or Blood of the Sun. Emerging out of the chaos that had arisen from the SAZ debacle, they were an ultra-nationalist group who had risen in rebellion. They were led by a man named Colonel Akinu, a former member of the Japanese Army; whose stated opinion was that Japan should be clean of anything that was either non-Japanese or non-Japanese related (a view that he had apparently held even before the Invasion). This inevitably put him at a difference with the Black Knights, who had openly adopted a policy of taking in both Britannians and Japanese as members. It also didn't help that Akinu had once been close friends with Kusakabe, with Kusakabe being the less radical of the two (according to Todoh and Katase). In any event, the Blood of the Sun had wasted no time declaring war on the Black Knights and attacking whatever strongholds they had in the North. They didn't control any prefectures (they were too small and radical), but at the rate, they were going, Lelouch knew it was only a matter of time before they did.

"It's obvious that we'll be engaging the Britannians and the Chi, but what are we doing about the E.U?" Tamaki asked.

"I know they launched a surprise attack on Sapporo, but maybe we should see if the Europeans are open to an alliance?" Sugiyama suggested.

"I disagree. If they were even interested in an alliance, wouldn't they have approached us before their invasion?" Ohgi countered.

"They may have tried, but they missed? After all, it's not like we keep an open hotline" Inoue said.

"Be that as it may, there's no telling what their intentions are" Kallen said. "Are they here to liberate or are they here to conquer?"

"Zero, I may be able to shed some light on the matter," Diethard Reid said through the screen. Zero motioned at him to continue. "I've been to the E.U on press assignments before. I've seen in their great cities that they operate ghettos similar to the ones that are comparable to the ones I've seen set up by the Britannians."

"But maybe we can force them to reform their policies?" Sugiyama posited.

"I sincerely doubt that," Todoh said.

"It also appears they have someone in mind for leading Japan" Akane chimed in. "Your old friend Atsushi Sawazaki."

"How the hell is that idiot still alive?" Suzaku asked, a look of anger coming across his face. Lelouch wasn't sure where it was coming from, but he had an idea; he knew that some ugly words had been traded between him and his father's former chief cabinet factory.

"It appears he must've slipped away after his failed attempt at a coup at Kyushu and made his way to E.U territory," Kurohime said with a sigh. "In any case, it appears that the E.U will be less than likely to join with us, as Sawazaki probably is angry at us for thwarting his last attempt to gain control of Japan."

"Zero _-sama_ , I have recently acquired some information that may be insightful to the council," a new voice said, one laced with strength and a northern accent. Zero looked and saw that its owner was Koshamain Murakami, the leader of Northern Resistance who was commonly known by the nickname "Kurokuma," or "Black Bear." Once a lieutenant in the Japanese Army, the half-Ainu rebel had been leading the rebel forces on Hokkaido ever since the Invasion. Lelouch had intended to meet with him in the previous timeline but had been prevented from doing so due to losing his memories to his father's Geass. By the time he had gotten them back, Kurokuma had died through the course of a Britannian raid. Having now spoken to him, Lelouch greatly regretted that they hadn't talked. Kurokuma had shown himself to be a man of great cunning, tenaciousness, and innovation, fitting right into the war council (despite several people silently resenting his presence due to his ancestry).

He was also very good at killing, which made Zero like him all the better.

Kurokuma handed over a piece of paper towards Lelouch, saying "One of the men in my company found this the day before we left. It says that martial law has been … 'temporarily' enacted and that 'all threatening groups and peoples must cease activities'".

"I see" Zero said, looking over the piece of paper. "And I assume that the Black Knights qualify as a 'threating group'?"

A short nod affirmed that. "Well then," Zero said, placing down the paper. "It appears that the course we must take is clear. Does anyone have any objections?"

No one objected. "Very well. I'll lead the push into the North myself with Colonel Kurokuma" Zero continued, "using my Zero Company, as well as the Special Forces under Colonel Tamaki and the 6th and 7th companies."

"Zero, why go north?" Colonel Chiba asked.

"Right now, the North is in the middle of a four-way war, while the rest is a two-way war between the Britannians and us. Bradley has been temporarily put out of actions due to some Knightmare damage he took during a raid he led last week in Nagasaki, so I feel like this is the best time for us to gain some ground while we have the chance. Any more questions?"

The question was met with a room of silence. "Very well, let's begin preparations. We have a war to fight."

* * *

Ok, so that's all I got for now! See you guys at the next update!


	17. Chapter 15: Overture to a War (part 2)

Happy Holidays, Everyone! A few things before we get started.

A/N: I own nothing

A/N 2: This is going to be a shorter chapter than usual. I had a bit of trouble writing this one (more on that below), but I wanted to have something for you guys for this month.

A/N 3: I'm going to take a small break from this story. Writing this, I realized that I had hit the points in my outline that was a bit thin with what I wanted to accomplish. So, I'm going to take a few days and outline the rest of this story out so that I will at least have a game plan for the rest of the chapters to come. As always, I thank you endlessly for your patience.

* * *

 **Chapter 15 – Overture to a Storm (Part II)**

 _ **I'd only believe in a god who could dance**_ **– Friedrich Nietzsche**

A cold wind blew around as Suzaku stood on the balcony of the submarine entrance. He never liked being on the sea; the rocking and creaking always gave Suzaku an uneasy feeling. He never tried to explain it to anyone anymore; they all thought it was just sea-sickness. But to Suzaku, it wasn't any sort of motion sickness. It was the knowledge that there was no solid earth beneath his feet, that ground beneath him was continually shifting. When he on land, at least he was able to count on the ground staying steady beneath him.

 _Keep your feet firmly on the ground. It's the only way to live life_. That had been a line from some old Yukio Mishima play, a favorite phrase of his father's. He had repeated it so often that Suzaku had grown to hate hearing him say it, often discreetly rolling his eyes whenever it was spoken. So the fact that this memory was dredging itself back was supremely annoying. Because Suzaku hated thinking about his father. Worse, he hated thinking about the man and realizing that he had been right about anything. For a while Suzaku still hated several aspects of his father's philosophy (particularly his nascent nationalism), he now had to concede that the man was right about a couple of things. For one, his father had been right that the Emperor would never listen to any peace terms. Suzaku had used to believe that perhaps the man could be at least reasoned with, but his memories from both timelines seem to disprove that notion. It also showed that any chance that this could've been done internally was non-existent. Suzaku now realized that his attempt to do so had let to him being subsumed into the Britannian ideologies and was thankful that Euphie hadn't been around to see what he had become. Suzaku now knew that Lelouch seemed to have been right all along.

Lelouch was coming out of the elevator now, moving into the night that was only illuminated by the stars and a blinking red light that was atop the submarine's portal. Wearing his mask, Lelouch still looked like the confident conqueror that the world believed him to be. But once he took it off, Suzaku could see how hard his old friend had been pushing himself. He looked tired and strained, most likely due to the intense effort he was exerting working in tandem with a lack of sleep. His eyes were most telling; Suzaku could that almost glazed as if he was thinking of something far away. But his voice was sharp as ever when he said "Sorry for taking so long. I had to take care of a few things before I got here."

"It's no problem" Suzaku replied. "I didn't exactly come here straightaway either."

"Fair enough. What did you want to talk about?"

Suzaku started to say something, but then stopped himself. After some thought, he asked curiously "What do you remember during the time that you were under the Emperor's Geass?"

Lelouch sighed and looked out on the water. "Honestly, not much. The memories have more or less melded into an odd blend of feelings that I can't really name. The clearest thing I remember is waking up in the Babel Tower. Why do you ask?"

"Well…before you were sent back to Ashford, your father…basically made you a new person. You were given the name Julius Kingsley, and you were sent to lead forces against the E.U in Eastern Europe."

Lelouch absorbed this new knowledge and leaned on the railing. "Anything that was particularly noteworthy of my strategy?"

"Not really. Mostly you used a giant airship to cause panic while you had their systems hacked, then launched a large counterattack."

"… Sounds like me. Anything else I should know?"

"Not at this moment. The only thing I could tell you is about some of the people who were fighting the Europeans."

"That might be useful later. It stands well to reason that Britannia might send in people who have experience fighting Europeans."

"Lelouch, what's wrong with you?" Suzaku asked, shifting gears suddenly. "Every time I see you out of that mask, you seem a bit distant and off. What's going on? What are you thinking about?"

Lelouch sighed and looked out into the stars. "It's everything that's been unfolding recently with the Geass Master. I'm used to playing my game of chess as the king, the person in control. And usually, I was confident that I was playing against an inferior or equal opponent. Now…? I have to get used to being a pawn in someone else's game."

"You're doing yourself a disservice as labeling yourself as a pawn" Suzaku responded. "The bishops, the rooks, even the queens and kings are all manipulated along by the hands above. Perhaps we've always been pieces on his board. It's only now that we've become aware of the situation."

Lelouch had to give a small smile at that. When his oldest friend didn't have his judgment warped by revenge or honor, he could show a very analytical side. "That's true. That's very true."

"Besides, you seemed to be ignoring a more question: If we're pieces in the Geass Master's game, who's controlling the pieces on the other side?"

"That…is a very good question" Lelouch said, looking back out to the stars. "I honestly don't know. And I'm not a hundred percent sure I want the answer."

"Well, we should let the Geass Master worry about his opponent, while we worry about ours."

"That's true enough. All we can do now is prepare for the storms ahead and cherish the time we have."

"Trust me, Lelouch," Suzaku said as he moved to the elevator, "if there's one thing I've learned from hanging around you, it's to treasure the time you get."

Lelouch sighed as Suzaku exited the balcony via the elevator. Then he turned towards the starboard side and said "And what are your thoughts on the time we have?"

Kallen stepped out from the shadows, miffed that Lelouch had been able to spot her. "Same as Suzaku's. And how were you able to spot me?"

"Nunnally has been forcing me to take some lessons on the side from Sayoko. Plus, you cast a distinctive silhouette."

Kallen sighed in acceptance as she moved to into the lighted section, moving next to Lelouch. "Sorry," she said, "But I was just worried about what might happen if… if Suzaku tried to ambush you again."

"It's perfectly alright. How did you manage to beat both of us here?"

"I asked both Euphemia and Chiba some questions that I knew only the two of you could answer, then made my way up. It wasn't too hard."

There was a brief pause as both of them tried to figure out what to say next. "Do you think you'll get used to it?" Kallen asked, breaking the silence.

"Used to what?"

"The idea that there's a higher power that is actively working around us? That we're not in complete control of our destiny?"

"…I don't know" Lelouch said, after giving the statement a little thought. "I'm not worried about what might happen to everyone else. Especially Nunnally…and you."

Kallen suddenly pulled him into a tight hug. "I…I get what you mean. But …try not to take everything on yourself. I don't know what we'd do if we lost you again. Just please promise me you won't leave us again."

Kallen began to quietly sob, holding her boyfriend and waiting for the words that she knew would put her mind instantly at ease. But Lelouch was speechless, only able to return the hug and look over the sea into the stars.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The party in of itself was nothing spectacular; such revelries were a frequent occurrence at the Gypsy camp. The fire was roaring, the wine was flowing, and the people were drunkenly happy and happily drunk. They would celebrate for any particular reason: a birth, a death, a great boon, or really just anything. Tonight, they were reveling because of the commonly used reason: because they were alive, because they were free, and because they _could_. These were people accustomed to pain, hardship, and trials in everyday life. The ordinary pleasures that most of civilization enjoys had been denied to them for centuries, so they made do with what they had. Songs were sung, fiddles were played, and there was a great deal of dancing and tenderness. All was done expertly, not it mattered to anyone there. To them, the quality of the singers, the dancers, or the musicians was unimportant (save for extreme cases). What was important was that they were here and together. The caravan knew that in the harsh light of the morning that they'd have to face the realities of everyday life (which would no doubt be compounded by the hangover that many of them would suffer from tomorrow). But for now, they were happy and enjoying the party that this moment in life afforded them.

What made tonight different was there was a stranger had arrived in their midst. No one could tell where he came from, or why. When looking back on the night, many seemed to recall either his name or his face. What they do remember was that he had brought with him two casks of excellent wine. This had been enough to earn the goodwill of everyone there, and the stranger was allowed to join the campfire. The festivities soon reached new heights, and even the Great Granny came out of her tent to celebrate. The fire burned hotter, the dancers danced harder, and everyone partied harder than ever. Soon enough, the Great Granny joyously told the camp that she needed to have a few words with the newcomer, and the two of them left to the cheers and catcalls from the rest of them.

Only once they were alone in her tent did the Great Granny drop her cheery demeanor. "Why is it every time you come here, you whip everyone up into a frenzy?" she said in a harsh, annoyed voice. "You know that it will be only more difficult for them to get up in the morning."

The Geass Master chuckled as he sat down. "Maybe. But if anyone could recover from the riot happening outside, it'd be your children Anna. Besides, what's the point of partying if you're not going to party as hard as you can?"

"Enough of this pointless banter. What do you want?"

"Straight to it? You used to be such a polite host."

"I'm a bit miffed with you. Up until a few months ago, I envisioned a group of warriors coming here and learning peace, before settling down. Now, they seem to have been swept up in a cloud of blood and violence, and their fates seem undecided. And the magic surrounding this change indicates that you had something to do with it."

"And so what if I did? My actions were sanctioned. And we have bigger things we need to worry about."

The Great Granny sighed, a look of resignation passing over her face. "As I feared. Which begs the question: what do we all need to be worrying about?"

The Geass Master straightened up and adopted a voice of authority. "Our old enemy is marshaling his forces. He's not unleashed yet. But if his armies gather and start moving, we could be looking at a lot worse than things are now. You remember the last time they gathered forces."

The Great Granny nodded. "The Year of Blood."

"Right. So, I'm going to need the Emerald."

The Great Granny was not a woman who was scared easily. She had lived over eighty years at this point, and survived diseases, war, and far worse. Yet, at that request, she felt the blood flee her face, and the rest of her go cold. "Are you sure? Are things that dire?"

"I don't know. But this plan was given to me from above."

The old woman sighed and turned towards her bed to look for the box that she had been given by her mother, who had told her to guard it with everything she could. Meanwhile, the Geass Master pulled out the book that had been given to him and by the gods and flipped open to a page inscribed with a five-point star. One point was colored red, from the Ruby that he had held on to for so long. Another was colored blue, from the Sapphire that the Dimension Supervisor had been reluctant to give up. With the Emerald coming to him, he knew that the last two he would have to collect would be the Moonstone and the Onyx. He then looked up to see the Great Granny looking at him with a look of near horror. "Relax, Anna" he said, holding out his hand, "it's only a book."

"That's not any book" the Great Granny replied, handing over the Emerald. "That's the Blood Codex. If that shouldn't scare me, what should?"

"Be afraid that I have a reason to use it" the Geass Master said as he moved the Ruby to the proper location on the star, before letting the book absorb the gem, leaving the point colored a deep shade of green. "Be afraid of monsters in the night. And most of all, be afraid of time running out."

He suddenly closed the book and stood up, readying himself to leave. "You best be careful. Make sure you don't camp more than one night in any spot. Try to leave as little trace as possible. And live every day as if it's your last. It might very well be."

"Wait," the Great Granny said, stopping the Geass Master from exiting the tent. "Do you think we'll meet again?"

"I carry the Blood Codex," the Geass Master said sadly. "I think we both know the answer to that question."

And with that, he was gone, vanishing as silently into the night as he had appeared from it.

* * *

And on that note, I'll leave it there.

Again, I'll be taking some time to get everything set up for the next few chapters to come. I thank you all once again for your patience. Please be sure to leave a review with any comments, questions, requests, or insidious remarks. Have a Happy New Year everyone!


	18. Chapter 16: Overture to a Storm (Part 3)

And we're back!

Look I'm not going to even go into why this took so long for me to get this chapter finished. Between filling out law school applications, choosing a law school, job searching, starting my job, and all the tensions and emotions that come with them... It's been a couple of very trying months. Also, I fell into a bit of a rut during that time, which was generally marked by lethargic laziness. And when I tried to work on this story, it was beset with setbacks: I started planning out the rest of the story, lost my notes, started a new set of notes, found my old set of notes, and am currently trying to synthesize both sets with some new ideas into a complete framework.

I want to thank everyone here for their patience in waiting for this new chapter (especially for anyone who favorited/followed after the last chapter was posted). I am sorry to say the following chapter is yet another setup "filler" chapter, but I do believe that it is essential for the chapters to come. I promise that the next chapter will be very exciting with lots of fighting and explosions. All I ask is that you put up with one more chapter of buildup.

Enough of all that. On with the story!

* * *

 **Chapter 16 – Overture to a Storm: Gathering Winds**

 _ **He whose ranks are united in purpose will be victorious**_ **– Sun Tzu**

Lt. Colonel Shinji "Akinu" Takeyama began every day the same way. He would arise in the morning at 6:00 sharp, do a series of exercises to awaken his body and his mind. Then he would take a straight razor to shave whatever stubble covered his face. At the end of each session, he would take the razor and hold it up to the reflection of his neck in the mirror, before sliding it across the mirror as if he was slitting someone's throat. And each time he did it, he would smile, for it meant that he was prepared for what he needed to do.

He was prepared to liberate Japan from the mongrels that infested it.

Lt. Takeyama, in a way, was grateful for Zero. Oh, he still loathed the man. He was a weak-hearted, hypocritical scoundrel who seemed perfectly comfortable with accepting filth-blooded Britannians, the dregs of his own noble race, and the abominable _hafus_ that those two produced. But Zero had been a signal that Britannia was weak, that they had grown complacent. If a bastard like Zero could take them on and win, then it wasn't difficult to imagine what a true-blooded Japanese man could do.

There was a knock at the door, and Takeyama looked to see his second in command, Lance Corporal Mishima, standing in the doorway. "Anything to report?" he asked in his gruff, authoritative voice.

"Yes, Akinu-san," Mishima responded. "We're getting intel that the Black Knights are sending troops into Hokkaido."

"Excellent" Takayama responded as he finished brushing the auburn hair that had earned him the nickname "Akinu" or "Red Dog." "I want you to muster all personnel and prepare to move to Hokkaido." Seeing a look of puzzlement on his subordinate's face, he proceeded to explain, "If we can beat the Brits, the E.U, and the Black Knights, it will truly demonstrate our strength. We will show all these diseased _gaijin_ as the weaklings they are, and we will be able to rally the people."

"Very well, Lieutenant. Which base should we move your wife to?"

"Kumiko will be coming with us. It'll mean her brat Yuri will have come with us, but it is a small price to pay."

"Are you sure, sir?" Mishima asked, not bothering to tell his superior officer the apparent risks of taking a heavily pregnant woman with them into a warzone.

"Of course. A man should be present when his son is being born."

"How do you know it's a boy?" This was a somewhat valid question, as they didn't have an ultrasound amongst the medical equipment, nor had Akinu had let Kumiko see any doctor outside the Taiyo no Chi.

"Don't be stupid" Takayama said with a smug smile. "A man always knows."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"How are things looking?" Lt. General Rob Ellison asked his officers as they sat around the table. No one would blame his tired tone; it had been a rough week for them all.

In a matter of days, they had gone from being relatively isolated from the fighting to being caught up in the center of it. The Europa United had come seemingly out of nowhere and captured Sapporo with minimal effort. From that position, they had been able to isolate the southern half of the island. And there were now reports that both the Black Knights and the Taiyo no Chi were both coming to Hokkaido to get in on the fight. The only consolation was there were no alliances; at least if they were busy fighting each other, that might lessen the amount of damage that Ellison and his fighters had to bear. Britannia hadn't given them that much in ways of supplies, to begin with.

"Not great" his second in command, Lt. Fred Jones, said as he shuffled around the reports. "Looks like the Black Knights and those Sun bastards are coming here for a fight. And the E.U is already here. The only question that really remains is who do we engage first?"

"Well then," Ellison said as he laid back in his chair tiredly, "Anyone have any suggestions?"

"I propose we go after the Sun first" Jones suggested. "They're the smallest of the four, and they have the least support. They'd be the easiest to take out."

"I say we go after the Black Knights first" Ground Force Auxiliary Chief Vickers Wilder said with a certain venom in his voice. "They're the reason that anyone is trying to fight is us in the place. We take them out, it puts us back on top."

"Who cares who we go after first?" said Foreign Legion Captain Charles Shaw. "The pack of them are all a lot of animals. What we need to do is move fast and show that the Britannian Empire is not to be scoffed at."

Ellison sighed. Shaw and Wilder were the 3rd and 4th in command here in Hokkaido, but they concerned him a lot. Wilder was only looking out for himself and his … financial interests, not showing much empathy. Ellison wanted to get rid of him as soon as he could, but he didn't have the evidence to implicate him yet. And Wilder was the one that merited _less_ concern. At least his …side dealings made him somewhat predictable, and he wasn't so talented or connected that the higher-ups would be willing to defend him.

Shaw was a different case. He was the son of some noble somewhere and would be more challenging to get rid of, but that wasn't what was worrying Ellison. No, what bothered him was the disposition of the man, which was a toxic mix between brutal bloodlust, desperate masculinity, and hyper-nationalism. The man was thin-skinned, cruel, and as unstable as a bowl balanced on a traffic cone in an earthquake. He was also bizarrely confident, refusing to send his wife and children back to the Homeland. Ellison was worried that whatever actions Shaw had planned would cost an inordinate amount of bullets and men, and would no doubt anger whatever of the population survived so badly that governing the island would be practically impossible.

Ellison proceeded to weigh what options he had, and a plan started to form in his mind. All he needed was to confirm a few things. "What's in that outpost near Bear Mountain?"

"SH-173, codename: The Ski Lodge" Sgt. Jerold Henderson, chief communications officer, said as he pulled up the file on his tablet and read the specs. "It's located about 20 km south of Bear Mountain. What we got there are ten older Glouster Knightmares, about 100 personnel, 20 tanks with corresponding ammunition, ten _panzer_ cannons with corresponding ammunition, and about 400 crates of bullets. It is currently about equidistant from the landing point of the Black Knights and the last reported position of an E.U Battalion. And the latest reports say that both of them are moving towards it."

"Alright. Issue the following orders: Evacuate all personnel to the nearest rally point in the north, as close to us as possible. Destroy all digital files, as well as much physical documentation as well. Try to remove as many Knightmares and heavy artillery as possible to the evacuation point or try to destroy them if they don't have the time or expertise. Knightmares have more of a priority than the other heavy weapons. And the main order is to get as many people _alive_ to the rally point. No one is to try for any heroics."

"Sir" Shaw interjected, his voice outraged. "Those at the lodge should stay and fight it out with whoever is stupid enough to come there. They are Britannian soldiers, and they should take down as many of these invading mongrels as they can."

"No," Ellison said forcefully. "It's not in a strong enough location to fend off two approaching armies. And this is a matter of what we can replace. I'll have an easier time asking Command to send us more ammunition and more weapons than I will be asking them to send us more people. A loss of equipment is easier to explain than a loss of people. And if we're lucky, the E.U and The Black Knights might do enough damage to each other that it'll make our job easier. Until we have further developments."

As the group split up, Ellison started to move in the direction of his quarters and found himself accompanied by Jones. "Sir," he said as he maintained a steady pace two strides behind his boss, "I'm worried that Shaw and Wilder might try and do something on there own and mess everything up."

"I understand your concerns about Wilder, but I don't think that he'll do anything reckless. His primary concerns are his Refrain dealings."

"Oh. No wonder he's been so pissed off at the Black Knights."

"Still, it'll prevent him from doing anything reckless, lest he loses even more money. Shaw's the one I'm worried about. The man seems to become more unhinged with each passing week."

"With the fighting getting this close, you'd think he'd send his wife and kids back to the mainland."

"I talked to her about that. She's as stubborn as him, saying that they have nothing to fear. Do me a favor and keep an eye on the both of them, will you Jones?"

"That I will, sir." And with that, Jones turned left into a different hallway while Ellison when straight towards his own quarters.

When he walked in, a woman around his age and a look of stress and overwork was busy cleaning the commander's apartment. She looked up startled when Ellison came in and looked flustered. "I'm sorry commander," she said hurriedly, "but I was just tidying up and – "

Ellison silenced her by walking up to her and embracing her while giving her a kiss. "It's okay Komastu," he said in fluent Japanese. "The rooms here are secure; no one will hear us."

With those words, Komatsu relaxed slightly. "Really? Are you sure?"

"They soundproof and secure these rooms so that the commanders can conduct 'any major' business without worry about it leaking."

"To whom?"

"They say it's to foreign spies, but its more likely to avoid things being gossiped about at court. Sit down, and I'll make some tea."

Komatsu listened and sat down at the table while Ellison went over to kettle to prepare some tea. "How is Ichigo?" he asked.

"He's doing well, being as boisterous and curious as all boys that age are. He is asking to see his father, though. And not just when he inspects the barracks."

"I know, but we're in a tight position here. Any mistake from either of us could spell trouble for all of us, and a ten-year-old has no place in the middle of any crossfire."

Soon enough, the tea was ready and served. Ellison then asked about how things were in the servant's quarters.

"It's conflicted," Komatsu replied. "Some are hopeful about the Black Knights, some lean towards the E.U. But everyone's cautious about it as they've been burned by optimism before.

They sat there for a little bit, letting their tea cool. Eventually, Komatsu said, "Everyone thinks you should surrender."

"What do you think I should do?"

"I think that you should join with the Black Knights."

"Honestly, I would love to declare Hokkaido for the USJ. I can't right now. There isn't enough support, especially with Shaw whipping up the loyalist and Purist fervor as hard as he can. If I declare now, either two things will happen: Either this place descends into civil war, or everyone bands together and puts our heads on a platter."

"So there's no good way out?"

"Yes. And quite frankly, it's too risky to try for a bad one." Ellison then held Komatsu's hand in his own. "I _will_ find a way out of this for all of us. I swear."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Well, that was quite the trip!" Gino said with a yawn as he stepped into the hangar where they had just landed. And he had loved every minute of it. He was actually loving his time in the Black Knights, something he wouldn't have thought to be the case. In the Britannian army, it had to be a bit too stiff. People were always focused on their business and just that. Plus, they all tended to get overly formal whenever he stepped into the room. Here in the Black Knights, it was different. Sure, there was still a sense of discipline and formality, as they wouldn't have been able to take on the Empire for this long and survive. But there was also an air of _excitement_ and _freedom_ that wasn't in the Imperial army. The people here hadn't joined because they had been forced to, or because they were angling for a knighthood or a bigger title. People were here because they _wanted_ to be here, and that led to a collective sense of comradery and purpose, a general belief that they were here to make the world a better place. And that attitude was infectious; Gino hadn't felt this driven for the longest time.

"The way you said that Gino, it makes it sound like you haven't been a plane before," a smirking voice behind him said. He turned around to see Yukia Shiroki walking behind him. His comrade in the Zero Squad was a slender Japanese girl about his own age with a military haircut, toned skin, surprisingly sharp eyes, and knack of getting under Gino's skin. From what Gino had heard, Yuikia's tanned skin was due to the fact that she had initially come from Osaka, where she had made a name for herself with her skill with her Knightmare and her fighting ferocity. Right now, however, there was no ferocity in her eyes; just the sort of mischievous mirth that Gino had always come to associate with Milly Ashford.

"I was just talking about how exciting the flight was," Gino said with a defensive grin. "I don't think I've ever seen that much turbulence on a plane before."

"I personally thought it was a bit too rocky," a new voice said meekly. With that, two more members of the Zero squad entered the hangar. The one who had spoken was a newer recruit who had clearly come from Britannia, a fifteen-year-old with copper blonde hair and bright blue eyes that complimented her pale skin. She gave her name as Dani California when she joined, but it was generally agreed that this was a fake name, probably to distance herself from whatever family she had. It was also clear that she was a natural at piloting, her Knightmare simulation score rivaling some of the Black Knight's aces. Next to her was a woman with long black hair, piercing eyes, and a demeanor as mysterious as the Hokkaido mountains she called home. The only name she was known by was Okamihime, or "Wolf Princess," and she was something of a legend in the revolutionary circles. A young girl during the invasion, she had supposedly killed the soldiers who had come into her house with a knife and made her way to Kurokuma, where she quickly became his ace. Gino didn't know much else, though he once tried to talk to her, before getting a withering glare.

"Well, you better get used to the feeling, because it is going to get worse from here on out." The voice that gave that announcement also pronounced that Kallen had entered the hangar, walking in with a rolled up map. Behind her was the last member of the Zero Squad, a silvered haired Britannian-Japanese teenager with the name Rai. He had come in from the Ikebukuro cell, having demonstrated himself as a skilled pilot. Beyond that, no one knew much about him, not even Rai himself. Apparently, he had been found two years ago by the Ikebukuro cell amid a bunch of rubble and with the larger majority of his memories missing. The only clue to his name was a badly damaged name tag that was found his coat pocket. Beyond that, no one really knew anything about him, since records in Japan since the invasion tended to be scant and sketchy at best (not much survived, and Clovis's government hadn't bothered to set up any system to either verify old materials or create new accurate ones). Besides all that, Gino actually found himself liking the guy. He was kind, smart, and overall just fun to be around.

"We have a new mission, simple but tricky" Kallen was saying, her words bringing Gino back to the present situation. "We have received intelligence that the Britannian army is about to evacuate this base," she said as she pointed to a dot on the map "SH-137. It's got a couple of Knightmares and tanks stowed away, but they don't have the manpower to hold us off. Our main goal is to get the base. No over-the-top heroics. If we're able to pick up anything else along the way, that's a bonus. But make sure you get out alive. You're the best we have, and replacing you will be painful and a pain. Any questions?"

"Just one," Yukia said. "Where is our fearless leader?"

"He's with the special forces," Kallen said, "giving them the same talk with more … clarity"

That was definitely needed in Gino's opinion. The Black Knight's Special Forces tended to be like their leader Tamaki: loud, loyal, brash, and inclined to run into a situation without thinking it through too much. It would make sense that Lelouch would want to talk to himself. But that did raise another question. "Why are we going with the special forces to take this base?" he asked.

"Because the E.U is also sending troops to try and take this base," Kallen answered. "This is the first engagement that we're going to have with them. It's especially important since they're sending a special unit with the code name W-9. We don't know much about them, but these guys have already seen heavy action in Eastern Europe. We don't know much else about them, so we need to be careful. That's why Zero's sending in us along with the special forces and a handful of Knightmares from the two companies that came with us so that we can get a better sense of how they fight, before we start throwing our regular divisions at them. Is that clear?"

The group nodded in unison, as there weren't any questions left.

"Excellent. Everybody get to your knightmares" Kallen ordered as she collected her maps. "Zero will dole out specific instructions when we start moving in. Get ready to fight!"

Gino couldn't help smiling as he moved to his Knightmare. This was going to be his first serious fight in some time. He couldn't help but feel excited.

* * *

And that's where we'll leave things for now.

As I was preparing this chapter for publication, I realized that I've been working on this story for over three years. So once again, I would really like to thank each and every one of you for your patience. I promise that from here on out that I'll try to be a bit more prompt with new releases (or at least work on a more consistent schedule). I'm working on the next chapter as you read this, and I promise it will be out soon.

Thank you all so much once again. I'll see you again soon.


	19. Chapter 17: Fire & Blood

Hey Everyone! It's nice to be back with a new chapter this quickly.

This chapter would've been out a day or two earlier, but I was on travel these past few days. (Quick side note to anyone who works at JetBlue: If you're going to cancel a flight, please try to do it before 3 in the goddamn morning after delaying a flight 5 times during the course of six hours. I do not want to have to sleep on a cot in the baggage claim area of the Boston Airport ever again.)

In any case, enough about me. On with the story!

* * *

 **Chapter 17 - Fire & Blood**

 _ **A man's character is his fate**_ **\- Heraclitus**

They came quietly in the night, the motors in their cars having been modified so that they could move through the forest without being heard. Once in the camp, the soldiers moved as silently as snakes in the grass, creeping into their assigned positions. The sleeping gypsies had no clue what had descended upon them until they were loudly awakened by large men in combat gear pointing flashlights and machine guns in their faces.

The inhabitants were quickly rounded up and made to stand in a line outside their tents. Their minds where reeling with confusion as they tried to figure out what had just happened. Any thoughts that this was a raid by the local E.U forces quickly died when their leader emerged from one of the SUVs. He was at least six feet tall, wore black robes, and had a large curved blade strapped to his back. But the most distinctive thing about him was the stag skull mask that he wore, making him look like a Druid priest from ancient times. He didn't bother to talk to any of his men or to look at the people that they were holding at gunpoint but instead went straight to the largest tent in the camp that was reserved for the elderly leader. The Great Granny, as she was colloquially known, was the only person who wasn't outside, instead sitting patiently while two guards stood inside. When the horned man entered, he dismissed them with a simple gesture.

"O gracious Stag King," the Great Granny said with over-deference, "It is but a noble honor for you to visit our humble encampment."

"Be silent woman" the Stag King growled in a harsh baritone. "I have not traveled out here to the middle of nowhere to listen to false supplications. I'm am here for the Emerald. Where is it?"

"Which emerald to you mean? We have many emeralds amongst us. Such as this one here, which was worn by three of the queens of -"

"I have not come for your worthless trinkets!" the Stag King snarled, slapping away the necklaces that the Great Granny had proffered, before moving his hand to her throat with lighting speed, lifting her off the ground. "You know of what I seek. If you believe that you can deny it to me, then senility has destroyed whatever was left of what you call a brain."

The old woman began to laugh weakly through the choke, dropping all pretense. "You won't find it here. He beat you to it... a week ago. And he knows… you're coming."

The stag king looked into the Great Granny's eyes and saw that she was speaking the truth. "Very well," he said. "In that case, I need you to send a message, though I'm afraid that you'll have to do it without your tongue."

With that, he tore out her throat, letting the elderly corpse fall to the ground. He slammed the organs left in his hand on the ground and left the tent, cleaning his hands of the corpse. As he walked out, The Stag King waved his hand in a signal of dismissal, at which the soldiers proceeded to unload their guns into the gypsies. They left the bodies littered across the forest floor, melting into the night as silently as they had arrived.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"What's the situation on everyone's end?" Lelouch spoke into his mike as he maneuvered his Knightmare around the hilly forests of Hokkaido. He got back a chorus of "clears" and "All goods." Which concerned him. His scouts had told him that the E.U was moving towards here and that they were moving towards here. So where they?

"Do you see anything, Sentinel?" Lelouch said. "Sentinel" had become the codename for the moving base that served as the command center during the missions. Ordinarily, Nunnally would be running things there, but Lelouch had left her back in Tokyo to oversee operations in the rest of the country. As such, it was Nina's voice which came over the radio, saying "I'm getting some odd readings on the scanners, but nothing that says Knight-"

Suddenly, a burst of gunfire rang out from somewhere. Within seconds, Lelouch heard Dani shout over the radio that she was taking fire. Soon enough, others were reporting that they too were under attack, and Lelouch himself had to maneuver his Knightmare so that he could avoid a stream of bullets that came his way. "Everyone move to the rally positions!"

As he moved his Knightmare towards the location, Lelouch got a stream of information about what was happening around him. From the sounds of it, it seemed that the E.U had seen Zero's troops moving towards the evacuated Brittanian base and sent their knightmares to intercept him, while a group of infantrymen moved towards the unoccupied base to capture it.

Lelouch couldn't help but grin. He loved it when things went according to plan.

Moving through the forest, Lelouch got his first look at one of the odd Alexanders that the E.U used. Initially upright like most Knightmares, it had proceeded to pursue the Black Knights after shifting into a four-legged mode that gave the impression of being chased by a giant white insect. It certainly made for a unique image.

Soon, a call came through the radio saying that they had disabled one of the Alexanders. The pilot (Lelouch tried to associate a name with the voice, which belonged to one of the regular officers) was moving in for the kill when suddenly the enemy Knightmare exploded. Lelouch barely had time to react when he saw another Alexander barrelling at him. Thinking quickly, Lelouch activated his flight mechanism and was able to lift himself over the oncoming knightmare. But just as it was almost directly underneath him, the Alexander exploded. The resulting force knocked him out of the sky and sent him sprawling. His systems out of whack, Lelouch moved his Knightmare behind the nearest tree. A worried voice came through the speaker, asking worriedly, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Q-1," Lelouch said tersely, trying to hide how rattled he was. "E-Everyone get into position and detonate the charges Q-1!"

Lelouch wasn't above using the same trick twice, so he had charges planted around the hilly forest like at Narita. However, he knew that the E.U and everyone else would've heard about Narita and expect something similar. That's why when Kallen detonated the bombs this time, they didn't cause a landslide like last time. This time, they unleashed an avalanche of white smoke, flooding the woods with an eerie mist.

While the Alexanders flew around the foggy forest confusedly, the Zero Squad and the rest of the Black Knights took position behind trees and began firing. Their sensors had been adapted to deal with the smoke, so they were able to be more accurate than the Europeans. All the meanwhile, Lelouch sat in his Knightmare and waited for his systems to realign themselves. All the while, he could hear the sounds of gunfire and increasing explosions. They began to happen with such frequency that Lelouch commented on it over the radio.

"We're not doing that much damage" Dani replied over the radio. "All we're doing is hit with a couple of bullets, and they charge in some direction and explode."

"Zero" Nina chimed in, "I keep picking up a strange signal right before any of the explosions. Do you want to block it?"

"Block it," Lelouch answered. "Let's see what happens."

What happened was that the explosions ceased. There was still the odd shots of gunfire, but there no more exploding knightmares. It didn't take a superior intelligence like Lelouch's to work out the cause and effect relationship.

"Nina," he said as he reached for his mask, cold anger dripping through his voice, "can you trace the signal?"

"Yeah. Anything else you want?"

"A missile. And a word."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As far as Leila was concerned, this had been a complete disaster from the start.

The plan had been simple: get the base as quickly as possible using light infantry. They knew that the Brits were trying to evacuate with as little loss as possible, so they expected minimum casualties. From there, they would be able to hold the fort while the knightmares secured the fort. In terms of execution, it couldn't be simpler.

The problem was that Zero had been much quicker than they had. When they arrived, it transpired that not only had Zero managed to capture the base and managed to reinforce it with troops to repel them, but he had also managed to stuff a bunch of charges into the surrounding forest. Leila at the very least had the knightmares outfitted so that they could withstand a landslide like in Narita. Only this time, it was a bunch of mist that screwed up the sensors in both the knightmares and in the mobile HQ. And now, it appeared that Zero had one more trick up his sleeve.

"What do you mean the signal has been blocked?" Anou shouted towards the control panel.

"I'm saying that the signal has been blocked," Olivia said, scrambling at her computer.

"Maybe we should focus less on why we can't blow up our soldiers and more on trying to get them back" Leila suggested, her temper threatening with every word.

"When we throw grenades, they're not supposed to come back," Anou said dismissively. "Besides, who wants those filthy Elevens to come back anyway?"

At this point, Leila's anger boiled over, and she was about to say something when Sarah shouted, "Sir! Incoming message!"

"From whom?"

"It says...It says it's from...Zero"

This caused everyone in the room to pause. It was only broken by Anou saying "Well then. Patch him through."

Within seconds, the large screen showed Zero, sitting in a Knightmare cockpit. "Good afternoon," he said in a cool commanding tone, "may I ask who's in charge here?"

Anou responded in his usual mix of bravado and bluster. "Lt. Colonel Pierre Anou, at your service!"

"So, _Lt. Colonel_ , there seems to be a problem. My knights and I took some fire from your troops, which we returned. The thing is, your men seem to explode after taking little fire. Now, I doubt that you're knightmares are _that_ bad. And while my friends are very good, they're not _that_ good. So either you're blowing them up, or they're blowing themselves up. And since I haven't heard any explosions since we started blocking that signal…"

"What of it?" Anou shot back defensively.

"Nothing. It's just that most leaders try to keep as many of their troops alive as possible."

At this point, Anou lost it. "So what? Who cares if fucking Elevens live or not? They love to die! They glorify death! They're the ones who invented _seppuku_ and _kamikaze_! They- "

Whatever else Anou was going to say was cut off by Zero bursting into laughter. This in of itself floored Leila; there was nothing in her research that he even _could_ laugh. She was getting past that when Zero began to speak again. Panting, he said with a mixture of amusement, astonishment, and something that sounded like outrage, "Wow. I don't believe I've met anyone as willfully ignorant as you. At least with Britannian nobles, they at least have the admit their apathy. You just took some random stuff and used it to justify your idiotic insanity!"

Zero then leaned into the camera, his voice taking on a more serious and angry. "At least those died via _kamikaze_ at least believed that their death would help their side achieve victory. I can't provide you with the same reassurance."

With that, the camera cut out, leaving nothing but static. Leila was about to ask what that meant to no one in particular when Olivia yelled that there was a missile incoming. Leila only had a second to throw herself to the ground and cover herself before it, bursting through with a propulsion of fire, debris, and noise. Leila couldn't tell long she was on the floor; all she knew was that she managed to pick herself up to find that she was covered in dust and ash with her ears ringing. Seeing Anou on the floor with a head wound that looked fatal, she dragged to the command center (which was somehow still working) and typed an order for all troops to return to base. She then pulled her gun and moved for cover, waiting for the Black Knights to come through the hole in the wall to the outside. But somehow, Leila doubted that they would come. They had been far from the main action, and Zero had made his point quite clearly.

* * *

Next chapter is in the works. Looking forward to seeing you soon!


End file.
